Devil Wears Prada 2 sparks racism storm in China over its ‘nerdy “Chin Chou” character’

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The highly anticipated sequel to ‘The Devil Wears Prada‘ is facing criticism in China due to a character nicknamed ‘Chin Chou,’ which some viewers find racially insensitive.

To help promote the new movie—a follow-up to the 2006 original—a brief video clip was released online featuring a supporting character of Asian descent who identifies herself as ‘Jin Chao.’

Helen J. Shen plays Jin, a character presented as intelligent and somewhat bookish. Jin says she graduated from Yale University with a GPA of 3.86.

People mistakenly thought her name was ‘Chin Chou,’ and many online thought it sounded like a hurtful and racist term aimed at Chinese people.

A social media user criticized a film for using a racist stereotype of Chinese people, pointing out the name “Chin Chou” used in the movie isn’t a name anyone in China would have.

One person questioned the director in a post, asking, ‘Are you genuinely unaware, or are you intentionally making these choices?’

A third said: ‘What kind of name is Chin Chou?’

However, many people defended the practice, arguing the criticism wasn’t justified. One commenter pointed out that connecting the name “Jin Chao” to a derogatory term for Chinese people seemed like a stretch.

Another bluntly said: ‘Nobody discriminates against you. It is only you feeling low self-esteem.’

So far, no one involved with the film – including the producers, directors, and star Shen – has made a statement about this.

Oh my gosh, you guys, the news is finally here! They’re releasing it in China on April 30th! I’m practically vibrating with excitement! It originally came out there way back in 2007, and I’ve read it made over a million pounds in just the first week! Can you believe it? It’s going to be HUGE!

The film has since gained a devoted following across the country and become something of a classic. According to the South China Morning Post, it received an impressive average rating of 8.2 out of 10 from 800,000 fans on a popular Chinese film website.

Many viewers felt the film helped them gain a new perspective on their careers and gave them a boost when they were feeling drained.

And nearly 40,000 people put the sequel in their watch lists. 

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2026-04-22 17:50