Interior Chinatown

by

Charles Yu

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Interior Chinatown makes teaching easy.
Phoebe is Willis and Karen’s daughter. She lives with Karen in the suburbs and is the star of a children’s TV show that follows a little Chinese girl named Mei Mei (little sister) on her adventures in America. Willis and Phoebe divorced not long after Phoebe was born, and Willis doesn’t get to know her until he leaves Chinatown and his role on Black and White to stay with Phoebe and Karen in Phoebe Land, where Phoebe’s show is set. In Phoebe Land, an idealized, imaginary world of Phoebe’s making, Phoebe can move freely between Asian and American cultures, something Willis could never fully do. He admires her ability to be herself without falling into the stereotypical roles that society has carved out for her. Phoebe forgives Willis for not being the best dad, claiming that he tried his best. Ultimately, Willis learns that the most important role he’s played in life isn’t Kung Fu Guy—it’s Phoebe’s Dad.

Phoebe Quotes in Interior Chinatown

The Interior Chinatown quotes below are all either spoken by Phoebe or refer to Phoebe . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Immigration Theme Icon
).
Act 5: Kung Fu Dad Quotes

You survey the room: drawings, hair ties, notes to herself. Seemingly every species of stuffed animal or creature, real or imagined, lined up like a royal court along the walls on the floors. Her friends, her audience. Her off-screen voices. She seems both more resourceful and yet more childlike at the same time—how she’s invented a world, stylized, so that its roles and scenery, its characters and rules, its truths and dangers, all fit within one room. How small it is, and overstuffed, and ready for expansion. How bright it is, how messy. This whole place, the objects in it, all from her.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Karen Lee , Phoebe
Related Symbols: Kung Fu Guy , Chinatown
Page Number: 213
Explanation and Analysis:

The words coming out of your mouth, you can feel it happening, how you’re softening, changing into a different person. You were a bit player in the world of Black and White, but here and now, in her world, you’re more. Not the star of the show, something better. The star’s dad. Somehow you were lucky enough to end up in her story.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Karen Lee , Phoebe
Related Symbols: Kung Fu Guy , Chinatown
Page Number: 12
Explanation and Analysis:

PHOEBE Can you tell me a story?

KUNG FU DAD I don’t know how. No one’s ever asked me to.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Phoebe (speaker), Karen Lee
Related Symbols: Kung Fu Guy , Chinatown
Page Number: 219
Explanation and Analysis:

KAREN You wanted them to find you.

KUNG FU DAD I wanted them to find us.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Karen Lee (speaker), Phoebe , Miles Turner, Sarah Green
Related Symbols: Kung Fu Guy , Chinatown
Page Number: 227
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 7: Ext. Chinatown Quotes

Maybe, if you’re lucky, she’ll teach you. If she can move freely between worlds, why can’t you?

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Sifu/Ming-Chen Wu/Old Asian Man, Phoebe
Related Symbols: Kung Fu Guy
Page Number: 278
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Interior Chinatown LitChart as a printable PDF.
Interior Chinatown PDF

Phoebe Quotes in Interior Chinatown

The Interior Chinatown quotes below are all either spoken by Phoebe or refer to Phoebe . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Immigration Theme Icon
).
Act 5: Kung Fu Dad Quotes

You survey the room: drawings, hair ties, notes to herself. Seemingly every species of stuffed animal or creature, real or imagined, lined up like a royal court along the walls on the floors. Her friends, her audience. Her off-screen voices. She seems both more resourceful and yet more childlike at the same time—how she’s invented a world, stylized, so that its roles and scenery, its characters and rules, its truths and dangers, all fit within one room. How small it is, and overstuffed, and ready for expansion. How bright it is, how messy. This whole place, the objects in it, all from her.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Karen Lee , Phoebe
Related Symbols: Kung Fu Guy , Chinatown
Page Number: 213
Explanation and Analysis:

The words coming out of your mouth, you can feel it happening, how you’re softening, changing into a different person. You were a bit player in the world of Black and White, but here and now, in her world, you’re more. Not the star of the show, something better. The star’s dad. Somehow you were lucky enough to end up in her story.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Karen Lee , Phoebe
Related Symbols: Kung Fu Guy , Chinatown
Page Number: 12
Explanation and Analysis:

PHOEBE Can you tell me a story?

KUNG FU DAD I don’t know how. No one’s ever asked me to.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Phoebe (speaker), Karen Lee
Related Symbols: Kung Fu Guy , Chinatown
Page Number: 219
Explanation and Analysis:

KAREN You wanted them to find you.

KUNG FU DAD I wanted them to find us.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Karen Lee (speaker), Phoebe , Miles Turner, Sarah Green
Related Symbols: Kung Fu Guy , Chinatown
Page Number: 227
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 7: Ext. Chinatown Quotes

Maybe, if you’re lucky, she’ll teach you. If she can move freely between worlds, why can’t you?

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Sifu/Ming-Chen Wu/Old Asian Man, Phoebe
Related Symbols: Kung Fu Guy
Page Number: 278
Explanation and Analysis: