Lijia Zhang
Encyclopedia
Lijia Zhang (born in May 1964 in Nanjing
) is a writer
, journalist
and public speaker. She describes herself as a communicator between China
and the world and has given talks at conferences about contemporary China and lectured at many top universities including Stanford and Harvard and The University of Sydney.
Early in life she wanted to become a writer. At the age of 16 she had to start working in a factory instead of finishing her promising school career. During the decade at the factory she taught herself English.
In 2003 she was able to attend Goldsmiths, University of London, England to study creative writing. Her articles have been published in many newspapers and magazines. She co-authored China Remembers (OUP, 1999) and her memoir Socialism is Great!' A Worker’s Memoir of The New China, is published by Atlas & Co. and Random House
and has been translated into seven languages. She was the subject of a BBC TV documentary Peschardt's People
. Sponsored by the US State Department, she was a fellow on the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program in 2009, She is completing her first novel, Lotus, about prostitution set in modern day Shenzhen
.
She is a regular guest on ABC
, BBC
and CNN
.
Zhang was married to Calum MacLeod, a reporter for USA Today. She currently lives in Beijing with her two daughters
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
) is a writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and public speaker. She describes herself as a communicator between China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and the world and has given talks at conferences about contemporary China and lectured at many top universities including Stanford and Harvard and The University of Sydney.
Early in life she wanted to become a writer. At the age of 16 she had to start working in a factory instead of finishing her promising school career. During the decade at the factory she taught herself English.
In 2003 she was able to attend Goldsmiths, University of London, England to study creative writing. Her articles have been published in many newspapers and magazines. She co-authored China Remembers (OUP, 1999) and her memoir Socialism is Great!' A Worker’s Memoir of The New China, is published by Atlas & Co. and Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
and has been translated into seven languages. She was the subject of a BBC TV documentary Peschardt's People
Peschardt's People
Peschardt's People is a documentary television series, hosted by Michael Peschardt, that premiered on BBC World on 1 April 2006. In the series, Peschardt interviews famous and not so famous personalities from the Asia-Pacific region. In order to be featured in the series, Peschardt has said that...
. Sponsored by the US State Department, she was a fellow on the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program in 2009, She is completing her first novel, Lotus, about prostitution set in modern day Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
.
She is a regular guest on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
.
Zhang was married to Calum MacLeod, a reporter for USA Today. She currently lives in Beijing with her two daughters
External links
- http://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2008/03/10/Interview-with-Lijia-Zhang
- http://www.uwapress.uwa.edu.au/contemporary_issues
- http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2008/09/05/2358389.htm
- http://chinaglobalspeakers.com/?p=296
- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/opinion/31lijia.html