Lijia Zhang

Lijia Zhang is a rocket-factory-worker-turned-writer and social commentator. At 16, she was put to work in Nanjing where she taught herself English. Now she is one of the few Chinese authors who writes regularly in English for international publications, such as the New York Times. She is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir Socialism Is Great! (2011), and her debut novel Lotus (2017), on prostitution in China, came out in 2017. She is a recipient of the prestigious fellowship for writers at the University of Iowa. She is a regular speaker on the BBC, Channel 4, CNN, and NPR.