Comic Con 2014 (Pictured on top)
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Interview with Wu Wu is my friend from Beijing, and he is a huge fan of Star Wars. Wu is currently a freshman at Peking University studying Chinese Politics, and he still finds time to enjoy his favorite thing ever. He is such a fan that he flew to America once to attend a comic con/fan meet up for Star Wars. He requests that I do not put a picture of him on the website, but he was more than happy to talk to me over the phone on his thoughts on being a fan of Star Wars. He is probably the most Americanized Asian I know, probably because he lived in the US till he was 10. I think he is a true representative of what it means to be part of a fan culture.
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Wu called me late one night in Beijing while it was still early during the day in Atlanta. Wu is very passionate about Star Wars and had plenty to say about it. I start of by asking him when he started becoming a fan. "Star Wars is not banned in China unlike so many other films. Yet I believe that it does not have as big of a following as it does in America. I consider myself an exception in China because I absolutely love it. It started when I was 6, and my dad bought a copy back home. I still remember watching it all the time and daydreaming of being a Sith lord, it was awesome". I then asked him what his definition of being a fan is, and how he is part of the Star Wars fan culture. "For me, being a fan is having a dedicated following. Also, a part of your life is characterized as being a fan. I have Star Wars posters all over all my room, and when I was little, the floor on my room was scattered with Star Wars action figures and lightsabers. My life was completely immersed in Star Wars. As I got older, I got more interested in the movies, the video games, and online fan forums regarding Star Wars". He also says that his favorite character is Han Solo (reason why I have a picture of him here). He wishes he was Han Solo.
I start got a perception of what being a fan means to Wu, and I ask him if he thinks my love of Star Wars classifies me as a true fan. "I think you are a fan of Star Wars like most people. You probably played with the toys when you were little, and definitely watched the movies when it came out. However, I think my fan level is more committed in the sense that I attend events for Star Wars and actively maintain a presence in the online fan forum. I also read all the novels, which not many Star Wars fans do". That being said, I start to see that there are different levels of fandom, and I may not be as big of a fan as I thought I was. However, Wu informs me not to worry, "I am probably to the point of being obsessed, which is totally different, haha".
I thank him for taking the time to talk, and we say good bye by expressing our excitement for the new movie coming out this winter.