Leslie T. Chang
Encyclopedia
Leslie T. Chang 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."
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.
Factory Girls was named one of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2008 and also received the 2009 PEN USA
Literary Award for Research Nonfiction and the Asian American Literary Award for nonfiction. According to Chang's website, translations are forthcoming in French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Finnish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Arabic.
in 1991. Her husband is author Peter Hessler
.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, she has been described as "an insightful interpreter of a society in flux."
Factory Girls
In response to the negative press surrounding working conditionsOccupational safety and health
Occupational safety and health is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goal of all occupational safety and health programs is to foster a safe work environment...
in Chinese factories
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
, Chang decided to explore the subject from the perspective of the workers. In 2004 she traveled to the South Central China
South Central China
South Central China is a region of the People's Republic of China defined by governmental bureaus that includes the provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, Henan, Hubei, and Hunan, and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, however excluding the 2 special administrative regions : Hong Kong and...
factory city of Dongguan
Dongguan
Dongguan is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong province, People's Republic of China.An important industrial city located in the Pearl River Delta, Dongguan borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the north, Huizhou to the northeast, Shenzhen to the south, and the Pearl River to...
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.
Factory Girls was named one of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2008 and also received the 2009 PEN USA
PEN American Center
PEN American Center , founded in 1922 and based in New York City, works to advance literature, to defend free expression, and to foster international literary fellowship. The Center has a membership of 3,300 writers, editors, and translators...
Literary Award for Research Nonfiction and the Asian American Literary Award for nonfiction. According to Chang's website, translations are forthcoming in French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Finnish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Arabic.
Personal
Chang graduated from Harvard CollegeHarvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
in 1991. Her husband is author Peter Hessler
Peter Hessler
Peter Hessler is an American writer and journalist. He is the author of three acclaimed books about China and has contributed numerous articles to The New Yorker and National Geographic, among other publications...
.
External links
- Holding Up the Sky, Sunday Book Review, The New York Times
- The China Beat: Factory Girls
- Factory Girls reviews
- Leslie T. Chang official website