Leslie T. Chang (Chinese: 張彤禾; pinyin: Zhāng Tónghé) is a Chinese-American journalist and the author of Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China (2008). A former China correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, she has been described as "an insightful interpreter of a society in flux."[1]
Leslie T. Chang | |
|---|---|
| 張彤禾 | |
| Born | New York, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Spouse | Peter Hessler |
| Parent(s) | Leroy Chang, Helen Chang |
Early life
editChang was born in New York, United States. Chang's father was Leroy L. Chang, a physicist, researcher, professor, and Dean of Science at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Chang was raised outside of New York City, New York.[2][3]
Her grandfather, Zhang Shenfu, a mining engineer who'd studied in the U.S. and then worked for the Kuomintang government, was bayoneted to death in 1946 by Communist soldiers.[4]
Education
editIn 1991, Chang earned a degree in American history and literature from Harvard University.[2][5][6]
Published books
editIn 2004 as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, Chang visited Dongguan, Guangdong province, China.[3]
Factory Girls
editIn response to the negative press surrounding occupational safety and health in Chinese factories. Chang decided to explore the subject from the perspective of the workers. In 2004 she traveled to the South Central China factory city of Dongguan to document the lives of Wu Chunming and Lu Qingmin, two migrant workers who were born to poor farming families. The book follows their lives over three years and also includes the author's own family history of migration within China and to the West.[7]
Factory Girls was named by the New York Times as one of 100 Notable Books in 2008[8] and also received the 2009 PEN USA Literary Award for Research Nonfiction[9] and the Asian American Literary Award for nonfiction.[10]
Factory Girls Updated Post Financial Crisis
editIn 2010 Chang published Factory Girls Updated Post Financial Crisis. The author observed that the 2007–2008 financial crisis has led to a business slowdown in Dongguan and that the home villages of workers have provided a safety valve with some workers even taking up a job outside Dongguan.[11]
Egyptian Made: Women, Work and the Promise of Liberation
editIn 2024 Chang released Egyptian Made: Women, Work and the Promise of Liberation. Chang explores the lives of three women living and working in the textile industry in Egypt, and documents the challenges of traditional culture with the demands of globalization.[12]
Personal life
editChang's husband is Peter Hessler, an author.[13][3]
Awards and honors
edit- 2009 PEN USA Literary Award for Research Nonfiction (Factory Girls)
- 2008 New York Times Notable Book (Factory Girls)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "China's New Working Class". The Washington Post. October 22, 2008. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
- ^ a b "Leslie T. Chang". goodreads.com. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Interview: Leslie T. Chang". December 12, 2008. Archived from the original on May 20, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- ^ Hessler, Peter. "Letter from Chengdu". The New Yorker.com. Condé Nast. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "Leslie T. Chang". Penguinrandomhouse.ca. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- ^ "Montage - Working Sisters". Harvardmagazine.com. February 2009. Retrieved December 7, 2018.(class of 1991)
- ^ French, Howard W (21 October 2008). "Books of The Times: Dynamic Young Engines Driving China's Epic Boom". The New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
- ^ "100 Notable Books of 2008". The New York Times. November 26, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
- ^ PEN Center USA 2009 Literary Awards Archived April 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Page Turner - The Asian American Literary Festival: Awards Archived 2010-10-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Leslie T. Chang (2010). Factory Girls: Voices from the Heart of Modern China. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 9780330506472.
- ^ "Egyptian Made by Leslie T. Chang: 9780525509219 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ Author Spotlight[permanent dead link], Random House
External links
edit- Chang, Leslie T. (2008). Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China. Spiegel & Grau. ISBN 978-0-385-52018-8.
- Holding Up the Sky, Sunday Book Review, The New York Times
- The China Beat: Factory Girls
- Factory Girls reviews
- Leslie T. Chang official website
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Leslie T. Chang at TED
- National Geographic May 2008 Issue Wholly Devoted to China
