Stereotypes of East Asians in the United States forms of racial discrimination or social issues in American society at large, and that their community is thriving, having "gained" socioeconomic success through their own merit. Fu Manchu and Charlie Chan are two important and well-known fictional East Asian characters in America's cultural history. Created by Sax Rohmer and Earl Derr Biggers in the early part of the 20th century, Fu Manchu is the embodiment of America's imagination of a threatening mysterious East Asian people while Charlie Chan is an apologetic submissive Chinese-Hawaiian detective who represents America's archetypal "good" East Asian. Both characters found widespread popularity in numerous novels and
Charlie Chan (composer) reviews. The Sydney Morning Herald wrote of "The Adventures of Charlie Chan", "defies all boundaries, shatters musical categories and constantly takes the listener by surprise. ... intelligent, sensuous music for the open minded." The Sunday Telegraph described "Wild Swans" as a "harmonic meeting of classical music and high-tech soundscapes … ambient yet energetic", while Sydney's Drum Media said, "organic origins of song, interaction of musicians, and cultural exploration create … a fresh and beautiful collection of music." Bringing two of their artists together, around this time Sony Masterworks released a recording of Charlie Chan and Australian classical guitarist Slava Grigoryan.