Entertainment

San Francisco Chinatown’s most famous resident is Shang-Chi, star of the recent Disney/Marvel blockbuster movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. In this stunt show set in the land’s amphitheater (by the lagoon), Shang-Chi displays his acrobatic, gymnastic, and martial arts skills. He is assisted by a show host who describes to the audience what they are seeing Shang-Chi do. The use of a host allows the Shang-Chi to focus on his demonstrations while also limiting the need to sound like the movie character. Shows last about 15 minutes beginning on the half-hour. Audience participation (such as holding items up for Shang-Chi to touch in his stunts) is used throughout.

In Chinatown there are two main forms of street entertainment--Tai Chi and Dragon dances.

Tai Chi is a popular morning exercise for the residents of Chinatown. A group of cast members will pop-up every thirty minutes in different places throughout Chinatown from park opening to 11 a.m. They will do one of the shorter more modern forms of Tai Chi called "Yang Style" (in honor of Choy Kam Man and his father, who were the first to teach Tai Chi in the U.S.--in San Francisco's Chinatown). One of the cast members leads a demo, which invite guests to join in. Demos last approximately 20 minutes.