Sandbox / Chinese Laundry Wick Checklist

So Chinese Launderer is a bit overwhelming. Though it only has 95 wicks, the YKTTW only had a brief mention of a single interconnected stereotype - the Wild West. However, the current description goes into outer gender-based Chinese stereotypes and has unwieldy comparisons to "dangerous foreigners", making it look more and more like a misplaced Useful Notes page. Even the oldest suggestions in the link verge on being People Sit on Chairs, since there's no mentions of those stereotypes involved (even if they were to be condensed).

Wick check: 50/50

Analysis: Ignoring the low/zero-context examples, practically every example I could find just amounts to "a launderer that is Chinese exists", and even then some still teeteer the line. Since this trope hasn't undergone Trope Decay, there's no real reason this can't be salvaged. My suggestion is to do a Trope Transplant by yarding the (currently vague) idea for "Chinese launderer stereotype" and keeping the original name as Chinese Launderer (though making it plural might help).

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Correct examples- the stereotype(s) involved and general ignorance are mentioned/shown (7/50)

1. The Touch: When given a tour of her new husband's home, Elizabeth is embarrassed to learn that men will be doing her laundry, but she's quickly reassures that it's the custom.
2. Music.George Formby: When Mr Wu first appeared — in "Chinese Laundry Blues" — he owned a laundry in Limehouse (a district of London where many Chinese immigrants settled in the 19th and early 20th centuries), although in the later songs he moved onto greater things.
3. ValuesDissonance.Western Animation: At least four episodes of Disney's Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers had jokes which played off Chinese stereotypes. One of these that is remembered in a particularly poor light was a subplot in the series' Five-Episode Pilot, involving series Big Bad Fat Cat seeking aid from a rival feline mob. Said mob was run by a pair of Siamese cats, out of a dry-cleaning shop in Chinatown in which crowds of cats bet on cockfighting fish, everyone dressed in stereotypical silk clothes right out of Yellow Peril media, and involved a lot of Asian Speekee Engrish. This was the late 80s and early 90s, the last time you could actually get away with this.
4. Literature.Around The World In Seventy Two Days: Bly praises "what Orientals can do in the washing line," and notes that six hours is enough for one to get a load of laundry back.
5. Funny.Wrongpurae Slowbeef And Diabetus: Given Jack's earlier reaction to it, the duo has a lot of trepidation as Jack walks in front of the Chinese Laundry multiple times, especially when its very stereotypical-looking owner comes out in front of it. After several close passes, they eventually have to bite the bullet and talk to him, and it's just as racially questionable as you'd expect, complete with a voice Diabetus compares to that of a South Park character.
6. I Have My Ways (under Advertising): In an early 1970s ad a Chinese Launderer is asked how he gets clothes so clean. "Shh. Ancient Chinese Secret." His wife shares the truth with us: they use Calgon.
7. Funny.Poirot: Later Poirot wants to send the launderers a letter of complaint. His remarks to Miss Lemon indicate this is just one of many letters he's sent them about the same thing. Then Miss Lemon tells him why his shirts are still uncomfortable.
   Miss Lemon: The trouble is, Mr. Poirot, they just don't understand the letters.
   Poirot: Why not?
   Miss Lemon: They're Chinese, Mr. Poirot.

Low-context (13/50)

1. The entrance to ISIS in Archer is in an Indian laundry that features the same sort of employees and jokes as a Chinese laundry.
2. Film.The Sand Pebbles: And barber, and cook, and mechanic, and...
3. Mr. Washy Washy from Family Guy.
4. Monk.Tropes A To E: Mrs. Ling in "Mr. Monk and the Twelfth Man". She actually likes Stewart Babcock more than Monk even though Stewart has killed twelve people.
5. VideoGame.Desperados III: In Baton Rouge, there is Sam Wong's Laundry, fitting to the game's The Wild West setting.
6. Radio.The Goon Show: Seagoon poses as one in "The Macreekie Rising of '74".
7. Literature.The Laundry Files: The Laundry is so named because one of these once served as cover for its entrance.
8. Literature.Appointment With FEAR: He seems to also serve food if you ask him to. This location was changed to a martial arts school in the mobile game version, seemingly to go for something less potentially offensive (although the 2018 reprint leaves it a Chinese laundry)
9. Literature.Flower Drum Song: The emcee at Sammy's club jokes about being one.
10. VideoGame.Laura Row: One in the second game.
11. Film.The Warriors Way: Yang takes over the laundry when he arrives in Lode, mainly because that's what everyone assumes he'll be good at. He actually has to learn how to do it from Lynne. They've seen him do manual labor before; this isn't really related to the stereotype, which the entry doesn't mention
12. Film.Broken Trail: Lung Hay.
13. (On main page) Widow Twankey from various Pantomime versions of Aladdin.

"Chinese launderers exist" (30/50)

1. There's a Chinese launderer in Wheel Squad but he doesn't show the typical stereotypes that come with the trope. He once taught martial arts on the side.
2. Literature.A Tree Grows In Brooklyn: Where Francie takes her father's shirts. See Inscrutable Oriental.
3. Series.The A Team: One of Hannibal's most-referenced comic disguises was that of an old-timey Chinese launderer.
4. WesternAnimation.Minoriteam: Guess where the team meets?
5. Recap.Daredevil 2015 S 2 E 11380:
   • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: One of the gunmen guarding Madame Gao's dry-cleaning front complains that another gunman's kid is playing with the clothes rack again. Except the kid's at basketball.
6. CrossesTheLineTwice.Paradise PD: Robby steals underpants from the dry-cleaning wife of Ray the Asian, while she was wearing them. Haven't seen this show but it's clear that this belongs in the limited range I'm referring to lmao
7. Creator.Avram Davidson: The title character of "The Deed of the Deft-Footed Dragon" is a Chinese man who has migrated to the US and is now employed in a laundry.
8. ComicBook.Lucky Luke (he's just referred to as "Chinese Launderer" twice on the page):
   • Digging to China: Played hilariously in The 20th Cavalry.
   Cavalryman: We Dug Too Deep! We Dug Too Deep!
   Ming Foo: No, no, it's only me, honorable Ming Foo^note the fort's Chinese Launderer.
9. Characters.My Place: [Mrs Wong w]ashes clothes for wealthy folk.
10. Anime.Appare Ranman: Xiaoleng is the daughter of a couple of Chinese immigrants who own a laundry.
11. Film.The Bowery: Swipes enjoys throwing rocks through the window of such an establishment.
12. Creator.Fatty Arbuckle: Prominently featured in Fatty's Faithful Fido. Sure enough, someone falls through the roof and into the washtub of said laundry.
13. Music.Rucka Rucka Ali: Taken up to eleven in "I'm a Korean": apparently all of Asia is a dry cleaning store. Virtually every DJ Not Nice song references this one, too. Kind of on the fence about this one but there's no context to the other lyrics at current to tell if it's a stereotype in-universe. It actually is based on what I read, but the joke *seems* to be that that has no reason to be in the song anyway, so it should go under Interchangeable Asian Cultures ideally
14. Series.The Munsters: In "Herman's Raise," Herman finds a job working for one of these after being fired from the parlor. It doesn't last long.
15. Series.TV Funhouse: Mr. Wong, the owner of a dry cleaning business in the second "Wonderman" short.
16. Recap.Bonanza S 01 E 01: Hop Sing's cousin, Hop Ling, is one, and he helps Joe hide from his would-be captors late in the episode. Ling barely avoids being burned to death shortly afterwards when the bad guys — thinking Joe is inside a tent — toss a lantern inside, causing it to go up in a plume of flame.
17. Recap.Doctor Who S 14 E 6 The Talons Of Weng Chiang: Justified by being set in Victorian London. Mr. Sin smuggles himself in Litefoot's house inside a laundry basket. This is admittedly an episode full of stereotypes, but this is even indirectly mentioned in the entry as being the only one that isn't, which seems incidental
18. Film.Everything Everywhere All At Once: The Wang family is in the laundry business, a stereotypical occupation for Asian immigrants in America. It could be any family business; the writers just chose laundry incidentally because it makes the most sense— laundry itself isn't important to the film
19. Film.Model Shop: The place next the model shop is "Wing's Hand Laundry".
20. Mail-Order Bride: An episode of The Lone Ranger zigzags this: a Chinese Launderer and his mail-order fiancee are very happy with each other, but a group of townspeople use increasingly nasty methods to try to break them up or even kill one or both of them: they are perfectly happy using the laundryman's services, but they don't want any children increasing the town population of Chinese(-American) people. Still incidental
21. Gratuitous Foreign Language (Theatre folder): The Screen-to-Stage Adaptation of Thoroughly Modern Millie has a version of "Mammy" sung in Mandarin Chinese. Oddly enough, the spoken language of the Chinese Launderers is Cantonese. Or at least, it's supposed to be, but more often than not the actors mangle the words and pronunciation beyond recognition. same as above
22. Film.The Apple Dumpling Gang: At one point, the kids accidentally wreck a Chinese laundry as part of their penchant for getting in trouble.
23. Film.Miss Mend: A Chinese launderer named Liu-Ka-Dzho gives Vivian a job after she's locked out with the rest of the factory workers.
24. Literature.The Western Mysteries: Virginia City is full of Chinese laundries, and Pinky tries to hide in one.
25. Recap.Law And Order S 18 E 4 Bottomless: The Yee family's business.
26. Literature.The Cricket In Times Square: The sign outside Sai Fong's store notes that he "also do hand laundry." His main role is as a storyteller so this is incidental, just like how his store is a general store
27. Film.The Mystery Of The Leaping Fish: The opium is being distributed out of a Chinese laundry downtown.
28. Film.Speedy: One has a business in Pop's neighborhood. When the Badass Grandpas attack the mooks, the launderer charges into battle with a hot iron.
29. Yellow Peril (the description itself): In the UK, this trope drew inspiration from the Opium Wars, the Boxer Rebellion, and the presence of Chinese workers (especially sailors and launderers) in port cities like Victorian London. Across the pond in the US, this trope also drew inspiration from Chinese immigration—specifically, the mass migration of thousands of Chinese laborers in the nineteenth century. This large movement led many Americans to mistakenly think of Chinese people (and by extension, all Asians) as mysterious and expansionist. The fact that the workers weren't allowed to integrate with whites and often couldn't speak English didn't help matters. It later turned out that it was Japan that was expansionist, and horrifically brutal doing so—China was in no shape for world domination at that point—but hindsight is 20/20. (Of course, in response to the new threat of Imperial Japan, the media promptly switched this trope around and started portraying "the Japs" as the new Yellow Peril, only to switch back to China during The '50s.)
30. ComicStrip.Krazy Kat: Mock Duck (commented out by a wonky troper just over 8 years ago)