“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
The only son of a former gang leader turned gas station owner, Cai Chongda grows up in a rural fishing village in Fujian Province. But his quiet childhood is shattered when his father is left paralyzed by a stroke. Still in high school, Cai becomes the head of the family amid a rapidly changing China. While wrestling with the weight of his responsibilities, he works tirelessly alongside his mother and sister to pay Dad’s medical bills for an injury that shapes the next eight years of their lives. At a time when people his age are determined to define themselves, he uses his father’s illness as an excuse to avoid the question entirely. Eventually, he leaves to attend university in Beijing, hoping to find a good job in the capital, and a sense of greater purpose. As Cai works his way through school and up the journalist career ladder—eventually becoming the editorial director of GQ China—he finds his life increasingly at odds with the family he supports, but left behind.
After his father’s death, Cai began writing furiously. Vessel chronicles his family and childhood friends, as well as the dreams and aspirations that propelled him to find his fortune in the big city. It is a searing memoir that illuminates the lives of losers and survivors, and the millions of young Chinese people caught in the whirlwind of China’s swift economic growth. It is Cai’s story, but it is emblematic of a generation who must dream big, or go home.
Translated from the Chinese by Dylan Levi King
* Paperback
Writer, media personality, and entrepreneur, Cai Chongda was born in 1982. He grew up in the small coastal town of Minnan in the Fujian province of China. At 24, Cai became the News Editor of influential Chinese magazine, Modern Weekly. His provocative writing continues to make him a controversial figure in China. \Three years later, he was hired by GQ China as Director of Reporting, becoming the youngest person to hold this position in GQ's seventeen international branches. In 2015, Cai branched into the fashion world, founding the menswear brand Magmode.
