# Detective Chinatown 1900

Detective Chinatown 1900 (Chinese: 唐探1900) is a 2025 Chinese comedy mystery buddy film directed by Chen Sicheng and Dai Mo, starring Wang Baoqiang, Liu Haoran, with a special appearance by Chow Yun-fat. The film is the fourth installment in the Detective Chinatown franchise. The film, which is set in San Francisco in 1900, follows the story of Qin Fu and Ah Gui's investigation into the murder of a white woman in Chinatown. The film premiered on 29 January 2025 during the Spring Festival.

## Plot

In 1900, Fei Yanggu, a Manchu official of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), on the orders of Empress Dowager Cixi, led two bodyguards to San Francisco to capture the revolutionaries Sun Wen and Zheng Shiliang. The daughter of U.S. Congressman Grant, Alice, was disemboweled and murdered in San Francisco's Chinatown. An elderly Native American man was also killed at the same time. The suspect was Bai Zhenbang, the son of Bai Xuanling, the leader of Chinatown’s Xiesheng Hall. Since Grant hates Chinese people in the United States, he is planning to push for a stronger Chinese exclusion bill in Congress. In order to save his son and prevent the Chinese from suffering large-scale persecution, Bai Xuanling invited Qin Fu, a young reasoning master, to help solve the case and find the real murderer.
On the other hand, Ah Gui, a Chinese-Native American hunter, came to San Francisco to avenge his adoptive father and met Qin Fu. The two began to work together to find the truth, but later two young women were disemboweled and killed. Since Zheng Shiliang is a good friend of Bai Zhenbang, the young master of Xieshengtang, Fei Yanggu's arrest operation did not go smoothly. In order to prepare for the revolution, Zheng Shiliang and Bai Zhenbang stole a batch of firearms from the Irish gang, thus offending the Irish. Zheng Shiliang and Bai Zhenbang hid the firearms in the Chinese Theater where their friend, the Chinese magician Jin Lingfu, worked. Following this, they were caught in the machinery, causing the show to be a success.
After that, Qin Fu meets with Bai Zhenbang, and Bai Zhenbang tells him that he was trying to elope to Europe. After that, they visit the autopsy of Alice, finding that the killer was good with a knife and also discovering wood in Alice's head and hair. Qin Fu proceeds to question Congressman Grant, but does not receive any information. After being removed from the premises, Ah Gui and Qin Fu look in Grant's house. They find a banister matching the wood in Alice's hair.
Meanwhile, Fei Yanggu makes an alliance with the Americans, after a brawl in a bar.

## Cast

* Wang Baoqiang as Ah Gui, of Chinese and Native American descent.
* Liu Haoran as Qin Fu, a traditional Chinese medicine physician.
* Chow Yun-fat as Bai Xuanling
* Bai Ke [zh] as Zheng Shiliang
* Zhang Xincheng as Bai Zhenbang
* Yue Yunpeng as Fei Yanggu
* Yin Zheng as Feng Ma
* John Cusack as Grant
* Li Xuejian as TBA
* Tony Jaa as Jack Jaa

## Production

Production started in July 2024 in Laoling Film Studio and ended in October of the same year.

## Music

This film is composed by Nathan Wang (Composer)

## Reception

Phil Hoad of The Guardian gave Detective Chinatown 1900 3/5 stars, describing it as "tightly paced and snappily directed", with a charming cultural message and effective humor that adequately explores anti-Chinese xenophobia without excessive patriotism, though he believes it ultimately undermines its themes with an "oddly pointed" political coda at the end. Wen Yen of Guangming Daily praised the film for "skillfully blending realism and romanticism", delivering a compelling narrative rooted in historical truths that resonate with the collective aspirations of the Chinese, while innovatively incorporating traditional elements to create a unique cultural dialogue on justice and identity.
James Marsh of Deadline Hollywood found the film to be visually opulent yet "sometimes preachy", tackling themes of racism and immigration while delivering engaging performances, particularly from Chow Yun-fat, but it ultimately falls short of its potential due to a predictable plot and a lackluster villain. Alan Ng of Film Threat gave the film 5/10 and considered it to be ambitious but ultimately disappointing, as it struggles to balance its slapstick comedy with an "over-bloated cast and subplots", leaving little room for the promised buddy-cop dynamic, despite some impressive production design and gruesome humor.