The curators of a special exhibit at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, in 1997 described the phenomenon in this way: “Chinoiserie was the whimsical synthesis of fantasy and fact. As late as the mid eighteenth century, most Europeans were quite ignorant of, or unconcerned by, the distinctions between different Asiatic countries and motifs.”

This description is still apt, for most Americans are quite ignorant of, or unconcerned by, the distinctions between different Asian countries, peoples, and cultures. Characters in mass media often blend the wildly diverse traits from distinct Asian cultures into an unimaginative, one-size-fits-all Asian stereotype. Disney’s high budget and carefully researched Mulan features Chinese soldiers dressed in Japanese samurai outfits; Asian American audiences who recognize the Asian goulash can only wonder why.