‘Nixon In China’ Blasted By Houston Chronicle For Racial Profiling

“Nixon in China,” a three-act opera by John Adams was blasted by the Houston Chronicle for portraying the Chinese throughout the production by way of offensive racial stereotypes. The 1978 opera, which is set to have a 30th-anniversary production at the Houston Grand Opera on Jan. 28, is accused of being yellowface—an example of racism prevalent in American culture.

According to a Houston Chronicle article written by Wei-Huan Chen, “Nixon in China,” instead of presenting Asians as human beings, offers a world of lazy stereotypes, with “white men in fat suits clowning around in Asian-style masks, evoking minstrel shows of the 1800s.” The writer also opines that “Nixon in China,” throughout the production, attempts to hide behind art to avoid social responsibility.

The Houston Chronicle article also went on to criticize the Houston Grand Opera for letting down not just the Asian community, but all those who want the world free from racial profiling, and which celebrates a society comprised of different cultures and races. Chen is a theater critic and a classical opera writer. He has won several awards for his writing on the arts including First Place from Indiana Associated Press Media Editors for Feature Writing.

“Nixon in China” is about the time former U.S. President Richard Nixon’s wife, Pat, visited Beijing (then known as Peking) in 1972. According to Houston Theater, it was hailed at the time as a historical breakthrough and an attempt to forge ties with China. Originally produced in 1987, it also drew an unfavorable response from critics.

However, in the decades that followed, “Nixon in China” manage to be hailed as one of the most influential operas of its time. According to the New York Times, for America, the production symbolized the collapse of a “mental wall,” and a recognition of the people and culture that occupied one-fifth of the planet. You can read the entire Houston Chronicle article here.

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