#4 Crazy Rich Asians & #5 China Rich Girlfriend

by Kevin Kwan

Romantic Satire

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan is actually the first book in a trilogy. So far I have read the first two novels.

These books tell the story of the wild world of the Singaporean elite through a fictional family drama. The first book revolves around a wedding that will bind two extremely wealthy families together for mutual gain. The second book broadens that world to include the “new money” society of mainland China.

#3 Death of a Red Heroine

by Qiu XiaoLong

A Murder Mystery

Death of a Red Heroine is the first book in a series following the adventures of Inspector Chen, a fictional detective solving crimes in 1990’s Shanghai. Although the author is Chinese and pulls from his own experience of growing up in Shanghai, the book was originally published in the year 2000 in English, presumably for a non-Chinese audience.

#2 Lucky Girl

By Mei-Ling Hopgood

Memoir of Taiwanese-American adoptee

The next book in my series of books by Chinese authors I read in 2020 is Mei-Ling Hopgood’s Lucky Girl.

Lucky Girl is the memoir of American journalist Mei-Ling Hopgood. In 1974 she was adopted as an infant from Taiwan into an American family. However, the story is not really about her adoption or even her childhood, but about her rediscovering her Taiwanese birth family when they enthusiastically re-initiate contact with her as an adult.

#1 The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane

by Lisa See

Historical Fiction

I wasn’t sure whether to include this book in this blog post series since Lisa See, the author, is only 1/8th Chinese and grew up in the United States. I don’t know that she actually identifies as Chinese-American. However, her historical novels are well researched and well loved, and reading this book was my inspiration to intentionally seek out Chinese perspectives in writing this year.

This historical fiction is a rare story about an isolated minority group in Southern China who work the tea plantations in the mountains of Yunnan. The story is told in two parts: a woman daring to get an education and leave her ancestral home, and her daughter growing up on the other side of the world with an adopted American family. Although they don’t know each other, mother and daughter long to be reunited. Their shared culture is rooted in tea, and it is tea that will allow them to find themselves, their heritage, and each other.

I Read 11 Books by Chinese Authors in 2020

The category of books limited by “Chinese Author” may seem restrictive, but it’s really not.

Events came together this year such that I found not only the time to read a bunch more books than I would normally would, but I also was able to form an online community with which to discuss these books. My goal for the year was to read fun and entertaining stories by Chinese authors in as many wildly diverse genres as I could find. Through these constraints I found some really cool books that I never would have read otherwise, and I’d like to share them with you!

Just because the destination is China doesn’t mean it’s a missions trip

Thanks to my recent podcast obsession, a couple months ago I discovered a really amazing new podcast called Failed Missionary.  The series openly addresses the broken incentive structure and culture surrounding foreign missions, foreign aid, and the evangelical church through interviews with guests from a variety of backgrounds and experiences.

The personal stories on this podcast really spoke to me.  But why? 

My Foreign Language Fluency Disaster Tool Kit

You’ve studied your textbook diligently in preparation to go abroad and now you’re ready to face the world in a foreign language!  But, uh oh… suddenly there’s a wild card in the situation: other people. 

Language Fluency is a Process, not a Destination

BONUS Lie*:  I’m so close to being fluent!  If I just take one more semester / learn a bit more vocabulary / get a bit more practice then I’ll be fluent and it will all be smooth sailing from there!

We need to change the way we think about language fluency.

So, you wanna be “fluent” in a foreign language…

I’ve had people tell me that their personal goal is to become “fluent” in the foreign language they are studying.  Alternatively, I’ve had friends ask me if I’m “fluent” in Chinese.

But, what does it mean to be “fluent” in a foreign language?