Ji-li jiang biography

Chinese author

Ji-li Jiang (born February 2, 1954) is a Chinese author. She is most famous for the memoir, Red Scarf Girl, as well as The Magical Monkey King. She grew up and lived in Shanghai, China in a large apartment with her family.

Early life

Ji-li lived in a roomy apartment with a small bathroom. At this period of time, many other people did not have large apartments such as hers, classifying her as part of the upper class during the Cultural Revolution. During this time period, she lived with her father Jiang Xi-reng, her mother Ying-Chen, her brother Ji-yong, her sister Ji-yun and her grandmother for a brief period of time. Her housekeeper, Song Po-po, also lived with them. Ji-li was a star student until 1966, when Chairman Mao started the Cultural Revolution. When she was 13, her father, a theater owner was falsely accused of counter-revolutionary crimes and was detained and forced to do hard labor by the Chinese government. Ji-li was humiliated by her peers at school who blamed her for her family's "black", or "anticommunist" past, which prevented her from becoming a Red Successor, a person who would be appointed as a Red Guard when they were old enough.

When the Revolution ended, Ji-li, later followed by most of her family, moved to Hawaii. In 1998, Red Scarf Girl, a memoir of her life during the Cultural Revolution, was published and garnered a number of awards. Following the success of Red Scarf Girl, Ji-li continued writing books, notably The Magical Monkey King, a retelling of a traditional Chinese tale about the beginning of the trickster Monkey King's journey.

Adulthood

Ji-li graduated from Shanghai Teacher's College and Shanghai University before moving to Hawaii in 1984. She graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi and began working as an operations analyst for a hotel chain. Ji-li became a budget director for a healthcare company in Chicago. In 1992, she co-founded East-West Exchange, promo

PERSONAL: Name is pronounced "Gee-lee Chiang"; born February 3, 1954, in Shanghai, China; daughter of Xi-reng (an actor) and Ying (in sales; maiden name, Chen) Jiang. Education: Attended Shanghai Teachers' College, 1978-80, and Shanghai University, 1980-84; University of Hawaii at Manoa, B.A., 1987.

ADDRESSES: Home—4 Commodore Dr., No. 444, Emeryville, CA 94608. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Aston Hotels and Resorts, Honolulu, HI, corporate operations analyst, 1987-92; University Health System, Chicago, IL, budgeting director, 1995-96; East West Exchange, Inc., Emeryville, CA, founder and president.

MEMBER: American Chinese Zhi-Qing Association, American Chinese Intellectuals Association, PEN American Center West, Northern California Children's Bookseller's Association, South Bay Area Reading Council.

AWARDS, HONORS: Red Scarf Girl was awarded a Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies citation, National Council for the Social Studies, Books in the Middle: Outstanding Titles of 1997, Voice of Youth Advocates, Books for Youth Editors' Choice, American Library Association Booklist, Best Books of 1997 designation, Publishers Weekly; Nonfiction Honor List designation, Voice of Youth Advocates, and Book Links Lasting Connections Citation, American Library Association, all 1997; Children's Literature Award, California Bay Area Book Reviewers Association, Book of Distinction, River Bank Review, Parents' Choice Gold Award and Story Book Award, Judy Lopez Memorial Award, Notable Children's Book, Best Book for Young Adults, all 1998; and Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award, 1999-2000.

WRITINGS:

Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1997.

Magical Monkey King: Mischief in Heaven, Harper-Collins (New York, NY), 2004.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Research on "the differences and conflict between the East and West, in terms of culture, custom, philosophy,

Ji-li Jiang was born in Shanghai , China in 1954 and is the author of Red Scarf Girl , an autobiography in which she wrote about her hard childhood.

For over twenty years, Ji-li Jiang nursed her childhood memories of surviving the Cultural Revolution in China , and finally brought them to life in her first book Red Scarf Girl . Since its publication in 1997, Ji-li has been invited to speak at hundreds of schools and conferences. Following up the success of Red Scarf Girl, in 2001 she published her adaptation of the Chinese classic folklore Magical Monkey King- Mischief in Heaven , which was serialized in 140 newspapers in USA and received so warmly by children - both young and old - that it was published in book form the next year. In 2007, this lovely story was selected for International Literacy Day by World Association of Newspaper in Paris and was serialized in 17 countries worldwide.

Ji-li was a science teacher in Shanghai , China before she came to United States in 1984. She studied Travel Industry Management at University of Hawaii , and worked as a Corporate Operation Analyst and Budgeting Director. In 1992, she co-founded East West Exchange, a company that promotes and facilitates cultural and business exchanges between China and western countries. In 2003, she started a nonprofit organization, Cultural Exchange International to continue and expand the cultural exchanges she believes in.

Ji-li Jiang now lives in the San Francisco Bay area, which she considers home. Her father, whose stage name is Henry O , still appears in various films and her mother live next door to her so they can see each other every day. Besides writing, Ji-li continues to speak at schools and conferences about her books and native China . She also devotes time to various cultural exchange programs, including leading cultural trips to China for large groups. She believes that a better understanding among people around the world is the only route to global peace.