Geling Yan

In this Chinese name, the family name is Yan.
Yan Geling
Yan in 2023
Born
严歌苓

(1958-11-16) 16 November 1958
Shanghai, China
OccupationNovelist, screenwriter
NationalityAmerican
Alma materWuhan University
Columbia College Chicago
Notable worksA Woman's Epic
SpouseLi Kewei
(?-1990s)
Lawrence Walker
(1992-)
Children1

Geling Yan (simplified Chinese: 严歌苓; traditional Chinese: 嚴歌苓; pinyin: Yán Gēlíng; born January 27, 1959[1]) is a Chinese-American author and screenwriter,[2][3] known for her collaborations with major Chinese directors such as Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and Feng Xiaogang. Since 2022, Yan has been blacklisted in China following her criticism of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Early life

Yan was born in Shanghai, China in 1959 into a family of scholars and writers. She is the second child of Yan Dunxun and Jia Lin. She has an elder brother Yan Geping (严歌平).[4] Her father is an alumnus of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning of Tongji University.[5]

The Cultural Revolution broke out when Yan was seven. She witnessed the brutality of the movement first-hand, which became a "life time obsession" and a recurring theme in her works.[6][7]

At the age of 12, Yan joined the People's Liberation Army as a ballet dancer in Chengdu, and travelled with the dance troupe around China including in Tibet.[6] In 1979, she volunteered as a war correspondent in the Sino-Vietnamese War. She was discharged from the PLA with a rank equivalent to lieutenant colonel.[8] She left China after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and has since lived in the United States and Germany.[9]

Yan holds a bachelor's degree in literature from Wuhan University, and a Master's in Fine Arts in Fiction Writing from Columbia College Chicago.[10]

Career

Yan published her first novel in 1985 during her military service at China. In the early 1990s, she went to the US and sharpened her writing skills at Columbia College, Chicago through a three year creative writing program.[11] During and after her study, she continued to write in Chinese, publishing award-winning short stories, novellas, and novels in the U.S., Taiwan, and mainland China. She was considered by some scholars in mainland China and Taiwan as one of the most important Chinese-language authors in the United States.[12]

As of 2023, Yan has published over 40 books and has won over 30 literary and film awards. Her works have been translated into twenty-one languages.[10]

Yan views writing as a disciplined profession, approaching her novels with meticulous craftsmanship. To ensure her stories and characters remain grounded in reality, she self-funded extensive field research: living among locals, consulting primary witnesses, and even embedding herself in the gambling dens of Macau to ensure every character felt authentic.[11]

Association

She is a member of the Hollywood Writers Guild of America, the Writer's Association of China, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[10]

Reception

Yan is widely recognized for her fiction exploring the psychological legacy of the Cultural Revolution. Unlike earlier "scar literature" that focused on direct political protest, Yan’s narratives emphasize individual trauma, gender dynamics, and the personal struggle for moral integrity. Her major works, such as the collection White Snake and Other Stories and the novel The Criminal Lu Yanshi (the basis for the film Coming Home), illustrate how political repression can distort human relationships and identity.[13] By focusing on the lives of marginalized figures like women and intellectuals, Yan’s writing serves as a "counter-narrative" to official state histories.[14] While her work has gained international visibility through numerous film adaptations, critics often note that these cinematic versions tend to soften the sharper political critiques present in her original prose.[15]

Works

Novels in English

  • The Banquet Bug (written in English, published as The Uninvited in the UK 简体版《赴宴者》)[16]
  • The Lost Daughter of Happiness (tr. Cathy Silber, Chinese title Fusang 《扶桑》)
  • The Flowers of War (tr. Nicky Harman, Chinese title Jinling shisan chai 《金陵十三钗》)[17]
  • Little Aunt Crane (tr. Esther Tyldesley, Chinese title Xiaoyi Duohe 《小姨多鶴》)[18]
  • The Criminal Lu Yanshi (adapted into a movie, titled Coming Home)《陆犯焉识》[19]
  • The Secret Talker [20]

Novels in Chinese （Chronological order of publication）

  • 绿血
  • 一个女兵的悄悄话 (Yi ge nü bing di qiao qiao hua)[21]
  • 雌性的草地[22]
  • 草鞋权贵 (In 2009, the name was changed to Shuangjiang《霜降》)[23]
  • 扶桑 (The Lost Daughter of Happiness )[24]
  • 人寰 (In 2009, the name was changed to Xinli Yisheng Zaima 《心理医生在吗》）
  • 无出路咖啡馆[25]
  • 花儿与少年[26]
  • 第九个寡妇（The Ninth Widow）[27]
  • 一个女人的史诗
  • 小姨多鹤（Auntie Duohe）[28]
  • 寄居者[29]
  • 铁梨花[30]
  • 陆犯焉识 (he Criminal of Lu Yanshi, 2011)[31]
  • 金陵十三钗（The Flowers of War）[32]
  • 补玉山居
  • 妈阁是座城（A City Called Macau）[33]
  • 老师好美[34]
  • 床畔[35]
  • 舞男[36]
  • 芳华（Youth）– English title: You Touched Me – [37]: 260  (adapted into the eponymous movie) [38]
  • 666号
  • 小站
  • 蜃楼
  • 米拉蒂 (Milati, 2023) [39]

Short stories in English

  • The Landlady (tr. Lawrence A. Walker)[40]
  • Disappointing Returns (tr. David Haysom)[41]
  • White Snake and Other Stories (tr. Lawrence A. Walker)[42]

Screen adaptation

Several of Yan's works have been adapted for film, including Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl, which was directed by Joan Chen, and Siao Yu, directed by Sylvia Chang and screenplay co-written by Ang Lee.

Zhang Yimou, the Chinese director of To Live and Raise the Red Lantern adapted her novella 13 Flowers of Nanjing to the screen as The Flowers of War. His 2014 movie Coming Home and 2020 movie One Second were based on Yan's novel The Criminal Lu Yanshi.[15][43]

Yan’s semi-autobiographical novel, You Touched Me, was adapted into the 2017 film Youth; the film was directed by Feng Xiaogang and scripted by Yan herself.[37]: 260 

Yan has worked on other movie scripts including Forever Enthralled, a biographical film of Peking opera star Mei Lanfang directed by Chen Kaige.

Censorship in China

See also: Xuzhou chained woman incident and Internet censorship in China

Yan's friction with Beijing likely started after the 2014 film Coming Home boosted sale for her book The Criminal of Lu Yanshi, a story depicting the tragic fate of intellectuals during the political campaigns in post-1949 China.[6] In late 2020, when Covid 19 broke out in Wuhan, Yan published an article titled "Hide, Hide, Hide" criticizing Beijing's cover-up that cost lives of many, including whistleblower Dr. Li Wenliang.[44][45]

In February 2022, Yan was blacklisted in China after appearing on a YouTube chat hosted by Zhou Xiaozheng, a former associate professor of sociology at Renmin University. During the video chat, Yan criticized the Chinese government’s handling of the Xuzhou chained woman incident and echoed remarks by Zhou, who described Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a "human trafficker" for imposing large mandatory "donations" on foreign families adopting Chinese orphans.[46][47] Baidu Baike deleted Yan's entry and the searches for her name on Sina Weibo became unavailable.[46] Zhang Yimou’s film One Second, adapted from Yan's novel, was released with her name removed from the credits.[43] Although the blacklisting cut off Yan from opportunities in screenwriting and publishing in mainland China, it also granted her "freedom" and "peace" in her literary creation. She switched to self-publication through New Song Media, a publishing house she set up with her husband in Berlin.[6]

Personal life

Yan's ex-husband is Li Kewei; they divorced in the 1990s. In 1992, Yan married her second husband Lawrence Walker in San Bruno, California. Walker is a diplomat. They have no biological children together, but have adopted a Chinese girl, Yanyan.[48]

Yan currently resides in Berlin, Germany with her husband Walker.[10][49]

References

  1. ^ "环球人物". paper.people.com.cn. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  2. ^ Hille, Kathrin (January 19, 2012). "Novelist threatens Apple with US lawsuit". Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  3. ^ Meiners, William. "Geling Yan MFA '99". www.colum.edu. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  4. ^ "严歌苓：翻手苍凉 覆手繁华_中国作家网". www.chinawriter.com.cn. 2014-09-09. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  5. ^ ""家"系列之严歌苓：母亲像小女孩一样爱着父亲". phtv.ifeng.com. 2015-05-22. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  6. ^ a b c d Ma, Karen (2025-05-01). "Yan Geling: Crossing the Red Line". China Books Review. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  7. ^ "Consolations of History: A Q&A with Yan Geling". Los Angeles Review of Books. 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  8. ^ "Bio of Author Geling Yan 作家严歌苓的英语简介". yangeling. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
  9. ^ Ng, I-ching (October 31, 2004). "Yan Geling". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d Aguilo, Amanda (2023-03-10). "In Conversation with Yan Geling | East Asian Studies". eastasian.ucdavis.edu. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  11. ^ a b Liu, Yan (2018-08-14). "《严歌苓论》：严歌苓的成功绝非偶然，背后秘密何在--访谈--中国作家网". www.chinawriter.com.cn. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
  12. ^ Jin, Wen (2006). "Transnational Criticism and Asian Immigrant Literature in the U.S.: Reading Yan Geling's Fusang and Its English Translation". Contemporary Literature. 47 (4): 570–600. ISSN 0010-7484.
  13. ^ Cai, Shou (2015). "Scar Literature reconsidered: Yan Geling's novels The Criminal Lu Yanshi and A Woman's Epic". Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies. 29 (2): 322–341. doi:10.1080/10350330.2015.1021551.
  14. ^ Jin, Huaifang (2024). Trans-cultural Perspectives in Yan Geling's Fiction (PDF) (PhD). Aberystwyth University.
  15. ^ a b "Writing China: Yan Geling, 'The Criminal Lu Yanshi'". Wall Street Journal. 7 July 2014.
  16. ^ "Review: The Uninvited by Geling Yan". TheGuardian.com. 9 December 2006.
  17. ^ "Nanjing Requiem, by Ha JinThe Flowers of War, by Geling Yan". Independent.co.uk. 19 January 2012.
  18. ^ Yan, Geling (2008). Xiao yi Duohe. Taibei Shi: San min shu ju gu fen you xian gong s. ISBN 9571450707.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  19. ^ Yan, Ge ling (2011). Lu fan Yan shi (Di 1 ban ed.). Beijing: Zuo jia chu ban she. ISBN 9787506360876.
  20. ^ "The Secret Talker".
  21. ^ Yan, Geling (1987). Yi ge nü bing di qiao qiao hua. Jun shi wen xue chang pian xin chao cong shu (Di 1 ban ed.). Beijing: Jie fang jun wen yi chu ban she : Xin hua shu dian Beijing fa xing suo fa xing. ISBN 978-7-5033-0034-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  22. ^ 严歌苓 (1989). 雌性的草地: 长篇新潮丛书. 长篇新潮丛书. 北京: 解放军文艺出版社. ISBN 978-7-5033-0079-0.
  23. ^ Yan, Geling; Yan, Geling; Yan, Geling (1998). Ren huan: Cao xie quan gui. Bu lao hu cong shu (Di 1 ban ed.). Shenyang Shi: Chun feng wen yi chu ban she : Liaoning sheng xin hua shu dian fa xing. ISBN 978-7-5313-1952-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  24. ^ 严歌苓 (1996). 扶桑: 文瀚阁创作丛书. 文瀚阁创作丛书 第一辑. 北京: 中国华侨出版社. ISBN 978-7-80120-089-1.
  25. ^ Yan, Geling (2001). Wu chu lu ka fei guan: Wuchulukafeiguan (Di 1 ban ed.). Tianjin: Bai hua wen yi chu ban she. ISBN 978-7-5306-3127-0.
  26. ^ Yan, Ge ling (2012). Hua er yu shao nian (2ban ed.). Xi an: Shan xi shi fan ta xue chu ban zong she you xian gong si. ISBN 978-7-5613-5516-9.
  27. ^ Yan, Geling (2008). Di Jiu Ge Gua Fu. Shaanxi Normal University General Publishing House. ISBN 9787561344231.
  28. ^ Yan, Geling (2008). Xiao yi Duohe. Taibei Shi: San min shu ju gu fen you xian gong si. ISBN 9789571450704.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  29. ^ Yan, Geling (2009). Ji ju zhe (Di 1 ban ed.). Beijing Shi: Xin xing chu ban she. ISBN 978-7-80225-614-9.
  30. ^ Xiao, Ma; Yan, Geling (2010). Tie li hua =: Tielihua (Di 1 ban ed.). Xi an: Shanxi shi fan da xue chu ban she. ISBN 978-7-5613-4770-6.
  31. ^ Yan, Ge ling (2011). Lu fan Yan shi (Di 1 ban ed.). Beijing: Zuo jia chu ban she. ISBN 978-7-5063-6087-6.
  32. ^ Yan, Geling (2012). Jinling shi san chai: Yan Geling zuo pin (Di 1 ban ed.). Beijing Shi: Shanxi shi fan da xue chu ban she. ISBN 9787550203570.
  33. ^ Yan, Ge ling (2014). Ma ge shi zuo cheng (Di 1 ban ed.). Bei jing: Ren min wen xue chu ban she. ISBN 9787020101825.
  34. ^ Yan, Ge ling (2014). Lao shi hao mei (Di yi ban ed.). Tian jin: Tian jin ren min chu ban she. ISBN 978-7-201-08724-5.
  35. ^ yan ge ling (2015). chuang pan. wu han. ISBN 978-7-5354-7941-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  36. ^ Yan, Ge ling (2016). Wu nan. Shang hai: shang hai wen yi chu ban she. ISBN 978-7-5321-6017-4.
  37. ^ a b Tu, Hang (2025). Sentimental Republic: Chinese Intellectuals and the Maoist Past. Harvard University Asia Center. ISBN 9780674297579.
  38. ^ Kenny, Glenn (14 December 2017). "Review: In 'Youth,' the People's Dance Troupe, in Love and War". The New York Times.
  39. ^ "Milati". New Song Media. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  40. ^ "The Landlady". 21 September 2015.
  41. ^ "Read Paper Republic: Disappointing Returns".
  42. ^ "White Snake". Archived from the original on 2015-09-03. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  43. ^ a b Ives, Mike (2022-07-28). "严歌苓指控张艺谋《一秒钟》未为其署名，电影界沉默以对". 纽约时报中文网 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  44. ^ "专访严歌苓:"我不愿捏着鼻子 再做任何妥协"". dw.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  45. ^ "特輯：借唐婉三字：瞞、瞞、瞞（嚴歌苓） - 明報月刊". mingpaomonthly.com. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  46. ^ a b "Weibo censored a famous novelist who voiced her anger over China's inhumanity to women". QUARTZ. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  47. ^ "China claims arrests of human traffickers in chained woman case". BBC News. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  48. ^ 严歌苓：做一个在美国畅销的中国作家 Retrieved 2017-01-14
  49. ^ "Chinese writer's information disappears from her homeland's internet". Voice of America. 2024-06-11. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
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