Cho Chang Deserved Better

One of my favourite characters from the Harry Potter series is Cho Chang. I thought she was a great character that I feel deserved better treatment in the films. Like many of the characters that feature in both the film and the books, the books show them positively. They have their own skills and talents. Sadly the 8 films cannot contain every little detail the books had an even gloss over some significant traits. Many people talk about how Ginny is better in the books, but another character I also think had a better time in the books is Cho Chang.

She’s one of the only Asian representations in the book series. She was also Harry Potter’s first ever crush. So, I consider her to be a significant character. Sadly, I think she is screwed over, especially in the movies. Cho well and truly deserved better.

Her name!

Her name along is reminiscent of what’s considered to be a slur. Some consider Cho Chang too similar to Ching Chang, which people see as offensive nowadays. There are so many beautiful Chinese names JKR could have picked instead of going for a stereotypical name. I know her name is catchy and that her first name is Korean descendant, but I think JKR could have picked a better name for her.

We don’t see her Ravenclaw traits much.

She gets sorted into Ravenclaw, a house renowned for its intelligence. There is a reason why she is placed in that house. She’s determined to avenge Cedric’s death. Her determination and hard work lead her to good grades and becoming a solid athletic figure with her Quidditch success. She’s able to stay strong even though she has so much going on. At the end of Hogwarts, she goes on to marry a Muggle. There are theories that the muggle she married is none other than Harry’s cousin, Dudley Dursley, but I think it would have been mentioned by now if that was the case.

Her trauma is cast aside, and she’s branded a cry-baby.

Cho carries a heavy burden on her back. She’s a student at Hogwarts during the second wizardry war. The school that is meant to be safe is now one of the most dangerous places. Her boyfriend is murdered by Peter Pettigrew and Lord Voldemort, and she’s only a teenager. Adding this to the stress of puberty, growing up, and all the changes, you can see that she has a lot going on.

In the films, she receives minimal sympathy. She’s confused and guilt-ridden over her feelings for Harry whilst still morning for Cedric. The betrayal wasn’t her fault. In the movies, she is forced to confess Dumbledore’s army through a potion, whilst in the books, it’s her friend that dobs them into Umbridge.

Things fall apart with Harry and Cho after that. Not surprising. I think it would have been nice if Cho had more spotlight in the movies other than just being a love interest.

She loves Quidditch.

Quidditch is a staple sport in the Hogwarts world. I think it’s a real shame we don’t see Cho in the films on her broomstick. Aside from being pretty, people who only watch the movies don’t always understand why Harry crushed on Cho in the first place.

Cho and Harry are both seekers for their respective houses. At one point, it’s mentioned that she‘s the only female player on their team. She’s always been a big fan of Quidditch, and she‘s never seen on a broomstick in the films. I didn’t like the last movies because Quidditch isn’t mentioned much during the movie because they still play a big part in the series.

The actress that played Cho Chang was racially harassed.

Katie Lui Leung, who played Cho Chang, was the subject of some horrific racial abuse and online bashing. The worst part of it was that she was advised to keep silent about it. A big franchise like this that inspires people to stand up for themselves and to speak out against hatred and bigotry is forcing a young actress to be silenced over her abuse is hypocritical and wrong. I’m so glad she’s spoken out about this now.

Even on her Wikipedia page, it says she’s famous for playing Harry Potter’s first love interest. Just as people see Cho Chang’s most outstanding achievement was being the early love interest of the famous Harry Potter. I think it says a lot about society today. Suppose we can’t even respect the mental health and achievements of fictional characters. How can we love and honour people in the real world?