China White (character)

China White
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Green Arrow: Year One #3 (October 2007)
Created by	Andy Diggle (writer) Jock (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Chien Na Wei
Notable aliases	Queen of the Pacific
Abilities	Formidable martial artist Great assassin

China White (Chien Na Wei) is a supervillain that appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Green Arrow: Year One (Oct. 2007), and was created by Andy Diggle and Jock. White was primarily an adversary of Green Arrow in his early years.

China White appeared as a recurring character on The CW Arrowverse show Arrow, played by actress Kelly Hu.

Fictional character biography[]

China White was the leader of a drug crime group that dominated the South Pacific.^[1] She supplied heroin imports for the West Coast United States, Australia, Japan and the entire Pacific Rim from her base of operations on a volcanic island in Fiji. Many years ago, millionaire playboy Oliver Queen found himself manipulated into financing several of China White's operations, though he was unaware that he was secretly investing in a crime group. When Ollie's presence threatened to expose China White, she ordered the mercenary henchman Hackett to kill him. Hackett beat up Oliver and tossed him over the side of his boat, the Pacific Queen. Ollie survived and managed to make his way to the island. He discovered China White's poppy fields and learned that she had been using local villagers as slave labor to sow the fields. When she discovered that Hackett had failed to kill Oliver Queen, she ordered him to finish the job or else he would spend his last days being slowly eaten away in a rat-infested cage.^[2]

DC Rebirth[]

China White first appears in the ninth issue of New Super-Man. The leader of the China White Triad, she and other members of the Triad attack LexCorp's Research and Development Facility in order to claim artifacts which she believes were stolen from the East by Lex Luthor. She and her allies battle Lex and Kong Kenan, the Super-Man of China, until they are interrupted by the arrival of Superman.

Powers and abilities[]

White was a formidable martial artist, and was rumored to be a great assassin.

Other versions[]

Arrow[]

China White appears in the Arrow tie-in comic. In her eponymous issue, she was a little girl who got abused by her father for trying to have fun with her toys, but he is killed by her future mentor Zhishan who also killed her mother. The fear of her father turned a streak of her hair white for unknown reasons. Her appearance caused her to be mocked by her peers, such that she stabbed a girl's hand with pencil in school. When she got out, Chien was greeted by Zhishan who promised her to be stronger and be with him. Before meeting with him, she bleached own hair with hydrogen peroxide, turning it entirely white.

In other media[]

Television[]

Kelly Hu as China White in Arrow

• Kelly Hu portrays China White (Chien Na Wei) in the live-action series Arrow^[3] as a major antagonist in the show's flashback storyline and the first recurring antagonist in the primary storyline. As a major member and, later, the leader of Starling City's local triad, she works both to further the triad's drug trade and as an assassin for hire, frequently crossing paths with Oliver Queen as a result. In the first season, she becomes the leader of triad after the death of her former mentor Zhishan, in addition to being mercenary for various clients and their requests (such as assassination attempt on Malcolm Merlyn). She returns in second season episode "Identity", teaming up with Ben Tuner in stealing medicine for Glades Memorial Hospital, only to be later defeated and arrested by Oliver and John Diggle. In the third season, she is a major enemy of the season's flashback storyline, working in Hong Kong to steal a virus dubbed "Omega" and sell it to the highest bidder in Star City, but is defeated by Oliver and Maseo Yamashiro. She appears again in fifth season episode "The Sin-Eater", teaming up with Liza Warner and Carrie Cutter to search for hidden money in Tobias Church's vault and overtake the city, but is again defeated by Team Arrow and arrested with her friends. In season seven, China White is recruited as part of the "Ghost Initiative", a new version of the Suicide Squad. In the episode "Welcome to Hong Kong," China White was revealed to have been deported back to Hong Kong and has reunited with the triad. She fights Green Arrow while her fellow triad makes off with biophysicist Dr. Robert Wong who the Monitor wanted Green Arrow to obtain. During a trade for Dr. Wong for the recreated Alpha/Omega virus, China had the detonator for the explosive vest that she had Dr. Wong placed in. While Green Arrow worked to rescue Dr. Wong, Katana faced off against China for the detonator. When Katana defeated China and got the detonator for the explosive vest, China managed to stab her. Before China can finish Katana off, Laurel Lance of Earth-2 uses her sonic scream to blast China off into the water.

References[]