Even while enjoying his bachelor party in Ontario’s Muskoka area, Simu Liu was thinking about Markham.
Before his wedding to fiancée Allison Hsu, the Marvel star took a moment away from jet skiing and swimming in the lake to announce some exciting news. The ARC World festival, which celebrates Asian culture, is returning to the Toronto suburb where it first started.
This event features food, music, speakers, and a celebrity basketball game to honor Asian culture and will be held on Sept. 12. Liu will headline alongside former NBA player Jeremy Lin.
Back to Our Roots
“It’s such a big part of the Asian Canadian community,” Liu says about Markham. “First of all, it’s got the best Chinese food in the country, in my opinion.”
During a phone call from a Muskoka cottage, Liu shared that bringing the festival back to Markham is a purposeful reference to the non-profit’s beginnings. It also helps organizers avoid heavy traffic in downtown Toronto where recent festivals were held.
The Asian Roots Collective started as the Chinese Canadian Youth Athletic Association in 1995 with a focus on basketball programming. Now, it runs its own athletic center in Markham and serves the wider Asian community.
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A Partnership for Representation
The collective teamed up with Liu for the first time in 2019 during a celebrity basketball game that raised money for Lin’s foundation when he was playing for the Toronto Raptors.
Since then, this event has grown into an all-day festival showcasing Asian talent across various fields by gathering actors, athletes, chefs, and entrepreneurs together.
Liu emphasizes that their main goal is to introduce young Asian Canadians to successful role models they might not encounter otherwise. He wants them to see beyond traditional career expectations.
“We knew some of our friends got sent to Kumon or that all our parents wanted us to be doctors,” Liu says. “If I could’ve attended an event where so many of my favourite actors or athletes or creators or entrepreneurs were there… my entire worldview would’ve been very different.”
Pushing Back Against Changing Narratives
Liu believes showcasing representation is crucial right now since support for marginalized communities can sometimes fade away.
“There’s a lot of rhetoric that comes south of the border that unfortunately, because we’re so close by proximity, permeates into our discourse,” says Liu. “It’s really important in those moments to just stand ten toes down and really support what you’re passionate about.”
Lin shared this perspective from his home in the Bay Area. He thinks recent cultural pushback against diversity efforts shows why events like ARC World are still vital.
“It is telling of the barriers we’re up against and why we need to continue to do this year in and year out,” Lin says.
Ties That Bind Us
For Lin, coming back to Toronto is easy. The city means a lot for him professionally thanks largely due to its supportive fan base.
“Even when I was playing for the Knicks, it felt like Toronto fans were cheering for me and it felt like a home game,” says Lin who operates a basketball school in Toronto with ARC. “All through my career when I went back to Toronto I always received so much love.”
Liu and Lin have stayed close over time. During their virtual call, ARC co-founder Clement Chu turned his camera around showing Liu and his friends giving peace signs from their cottage.
“I’m midway through glazing you bro!” Lin laughed.
While Chu mentioned that they’ll reveal this year’s full celebrity lineup soon enough, Liu was ready to dive back into his bachelor weekend activities.
“We’re hitting the hot tub right now,” Liu says. “We’re probably going to jump in the lake and then play some board games.”
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