Vessel A Memoir
Vessel A Memoir by Chongda Cai, published by HarperCollinsPublishers in 2021, is a poignant exploration of the complexities of family and cultural identity. This English-language debut presents an unprecedented and heartfelt account of rural Chinese life, focusing on generational strife, love, and loss. The narrative follows Cai’s journey from a fishing village in Fujian province to becoming the editorial director of GQ China, highlighting the challenges he faces as he balances his responsibilities to his family with his aspirations in a rapidly changing society.
Readers will find a rich tapestry of experiences that reflect the realities of contemporary life in China, as Cai navigates the pressures of supporting his family after his father’s stroke. The memoir delves into themes of family dynamics and the impact of societal changes on personal relationships. With a page count of 298, Vessel offers insights into the lives of rural workers and the intersection of tradition and modernity, making it a significant contribution to the genres of biography and personal memoir.
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“Essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary life in China, and highly recommended for memoir enthusiasts in general.” — Library Journal (starred review)
“Chongda paints a tantalizing portrait of a changing China in his dazzling English-language debut. [Vessel] shines with the bright talent of an excellent storyteller.” — Publishers Weekly
An unprecedented and heartfelt memoir that illuminates the lives of rural Chinese workers, offering a portrait of generational strife, family, love, and loss that crosses cultures and time.
Cai Chongda spent his childhood in a rural fishing village in Fujian province. When his father–a former communist gang leader turned gas station owner–has a stroke that partially paralyzes him, his responsibilities fall to Cai, his only son.
Assuming his new role as head of the family, Cai toils alongside his mother and older sister to pay the medical bills that have become a part of a rapidly changing Chinese society. As Cai works his way through university and moves to Beijing, eventually becoming the editorial director of GQ China, he finds his life increasingly at odds with the family he supports but has left behind.
Like The Glass Castle and Hillbilly Elegy, Vessel neither romanticizes nor condemns the people and circumstances that shaped a young man’s life, but instead offers a way forward, revealing how tradition can enrich modern life.
Translated from the Chinese by Dylan Levi King
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