author
Yan Phou Lee
b. 1861
A pioneering Chinese American writer and lecturer, he opened a window for English-language readers onto everyday life in 19th-century China. His work also stands as an early, eloquent response to anti-Chinese prejudice in the United States.
1 Audiobook
When I was a boy in China
by Yan Phou Lee
About the author
Born in Guangdong around 1861, Yan Phou Lee came to the United States as a boy through the Chinese Educational Mission, a Qing-era program that sent students abroad for Western education. He later graduated from Yale and became known as a gifted speaker, writer, and interpreter of Chinese life for American audiences.
He is best remembered for When I Was a Boy in China (1887), a lively account of childhood, family customs, schooling, food, and festivals. The book is widely noted as the first published in English by an author of Asian descent in the United States, which gives Lee an important place in both Asian American and literary history.
Lee also spoke out during a period of strong anti-Chinese sentiment in America. Along with his writing, his lectures helped challenge stereotypes by presenting Chinese culture with warmth, detail, and humor, making his work feel both historically important and very human.