A Phoenix Man and Half a New Yorker: An Essay Collection, a Personal Growth Story

What is a "Phoenix Man"?

Someone who, having worked hard to escape rural life and move to the city, still carries memories and traits from their rural past.

What is a "Half New Yorker"?

Someone who has lived in New York for many years but always maintains the distance and clear-sightedness of an outsider.

In the essay collection "A Phoenix Man and a Half New Yorker," Ying Fan uses these two identity labels as a starting point for his writing, chronicling the life experiences of an ordinary Chinese person crossing urban-rural and cultural boundaries with humorous and warm prose.

From his childhood in rural Northern Jiangsu to his student years at the University of Science and Technology of China;

From the cultural disorientation upon first arriving in America to daily snippets on New York commuter trains;

From the various amusing incidents during his parents' visit to America to the family warmth brought by the growth of his three children--

The author uses sincere self-deprecation and good-natured humor to write about the awkwardness, emotions, and warmth of living between different worlds.

These writings are not ostentatious, yet they are full of the light of life; they are not deliberately profound, yet they leave a lasting aftertaste in their lighthearted narration.

As one review put it, Ying Fan's essays carry

"understated humor, unrestrained self-mockery and introspection, and the enduring poetry of everyday life."

Overseas Chinese Writing Series

Oneplus Publishing