In essence, American Dreams in China derives its stamina from a contemporary Zeitgeist: as China has grown to be an important player in world politics and the global economy, people are demanding that their erstwhile American dreams be redefined in Chinese terms. The China-US theme reaches a didactic height when Huang’ character gives a winning speech in front of their American plaintiffs, who are depicted as prejudiced and arrogant. At that moment it becomes blatantly clear that the success of the trio is never the result of American-style individualism, but a collective ideology that finds its roots in the grudges of China’s colonial past.
Evidently, the message has been well received by its audience. The film reportedly raked in more than RMB500 million (NT$2.5 billion) in China in less than one month after it opened on May 17.