Author
Jan Wong
Birth Date
August 15, 1952
(73 Years)
Associated Country
Canada
Jan Wong is a Canadian journalist, author, and broadcaster known for her reporting on China, Canadian politics, and international affairs. Her work combines firsthand observation, investigative reporting, and personal experience to explore the social, political, and cultural forces that shape contemporary societies. Recognized for her clear, engaging prose and willingness to tackle controversial subjects, Wong has established herself as a distinctive voice in Canadian nonfiction.
Born in Canada to Chinese immigrant parents, Wong studied in both Canada and China, becoming one of the first Western students to attend a Chinese university after the Cultural Revolution. Her experiences living and reporting in China, as well as her work as a foreign correspondent and columnist, informed a body of writing that examines politics, identity, immigration, and the relationship between East and West. She is particularly known for combining memoir, history, and journalism to provide nuanced perspectives on complex issues.
Over the course of her career, Wong has written extensively for major Canadian publications and authored several acclaimed nonfiction books. Through her journalism and books, she has earned a reputation for insightful reporting, intellectual curiosity, and a commitment to exploring the cultural and political questions that shape both Canada and the wider world.
Born in Canada to Chinese immigrant parents, Wong studied in both Canada and China, becoming one of the first Western students to attend a Chinese university after the Cultural Revolution. Her experiences living and reporting in China, as well as her work as a foreign correspondent and columnist, informed a body of writing that examines politics, identity, immigration, and the relationship between East and West. She is particularly known for combining memoir, history, and journalism to provide nuanced perspectives on complex issues.
Over the course of her career, Wong has written extensively for major Canadian publications and authored several acclaimed nonfiction books. Through her journalism and books, she has earned a reputation for insightful reporting, intellectual curiosity, and a commitment to exploring the cultural and political questions that shape both Canada and the wider world.
Books
Apron Strings 2017
Jan Wong knows food is better when shared, so when she set out to write a book about home cooking in France, Italy, and China, she asked her 22-year-old son, Sam, to join her. While he wasn't keen on...
Out of the Blue 2012
Self-published in 2012 because publishers were afraid of the backlash from the author's criticism of the biggest newspaper in Canada, Jan Wong's formidable memoir made the Globe and Mail's own...
Beijing Confidential 2008
In the early 1970s, at the height of the Cultural Revolution, Jan Wong traveled from Canada to become one of only two Westerners permitted to study at Beijing University. One day a fellow student, Yin...
Lunch With Jan Wong 2000
Many people have predicted that she'll never eat lunch in this town again. But as "Lunch With" proves each week, there's always another unsuspecting celebrity ready to break bread with columnist Jan...
Jan Wong's China 1999
As the fiftieth anniversary of the People's Republic of China approaches on October 1, 1999, Jan Wong reflects on her body of work as a foreign correspondent there. Despite the fact that everything is...
Red China Blues 1997
Jan Wong, a Canadian of Chinese descent, went to China as a starry-eyed Maoist in 1972 at the height of the Cultural Revolution. A true believer--and one of only two Westerners permitted to enroll at...