Even during his bachelor party in Ontario\u2019s Muskoka region, Simu Liu had Markham on his mind.<\/p>\n
Ahead of his wedding to fianc\u00e9e Allison Hsu, the Marvel star stepped away from jet skiing and lake swims with friends this week to talk about bringing ARC World \u2014 the annual Asian Roots Collective festival \u2014 back to the Toronto suburb where it began.<\/p>\n
The celebration of Asian culture \u2014 featuring food, music, speakers and a celebrity basketball game with Liu and former NBA star Jeremy Lin \u2014 returns Sept. 12 after recent editions in downtown Toronto.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s such a big part of the Asian Canadian community,\u201d Liu says of Markham.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst of all, it\u2019s got the best Chinese food in the country, in my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking over the phone while overlooking a Muskoka lake, Liu says coming to Markham is meaningful because it\u2019s where the non-profit behind ARC World was born.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to bring the event back to the community and back to its people, maybe avoid the traffic of downtown a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Originally named the Chinese Canadian Youth Athletic Association, the Asian Roots Collective was founded in 1995 to provide basketball programming for Chinese Canadians. Today, it operates its own athletics centre in Markham and serves the broader Asian community.<\/p>\n
The organization partnered with Liu in 2019 on a celebrity basketball game that raised money for the foundation led by Lin, then a member of the Toronto Raptors. The event has since evolved into a one-day festival celebrating Asian excellence across industries, bringing together athletes, actors, musicians, entrepreneurs and chefs alongside local businesses and community organizations.<\/p>\n
Liu says the larger goal is exposing young Asian Canadians to role models they might not otherwise encounter.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn event like this is necessary today because I think you still have kids that grow up a little bit unsure of how to feel about their identity,\u201d says Liu, who starred in 2021\u2019s \u201cShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings\u201d and will appear in this winter\u2019s \u201cAvengers: Doomsday.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says that\u2019s especially important at a time when progress on representation can feel uncertain and \u201cpublic opinion shifts as to whether or not support for marginalized communities is important.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of rhetoric that comes south of the border that unfortunately, because we\u2019re so close by proximity, permeates into our discourse,\u201d says Liu.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really important in those moments to just stand ten toes down and really support what you\u2019re passionate about. And for me, I\u2019m never not going to be Chinese, so this community is always going to mean a lot to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lin says a recent backlash towards diversity and inclusion efforts \u201cis telling of the barriers we\u2019re up against and why we need to continue to do this year in and year out.\u201d<\/p>\n