Memoirs
VESSEL
by Cai Chongda
Description
A heart-wrenching memoir about coming-of-age, leaving home, losing family and friends, and finding one's place in the world.
Growing up in an underprivileged family, Cai Chongda’s childhood is nevertheless one of quiet happiness. Things change when his father had a stroke – Cai was still in high school. In the next eight years, Cai's only goal is to make money to pay for Dad's medical bill. Like millions of young people in China, he left home for university in Beijing, hoping to eventually find a well-paid job in the capital. He became one of the most successful young journalists in the country, yet none of the fame or money could save his father.
After his father’s death, Cai checked into a hotel room and began writing furiously. The result is VESSEL, in which he writes about his almost witch-doctor-like Nana, his mother's obsession of building her own house, and the long and tragicomic passing of his father. He also writes about childhood friends, most of which left their hometown like he did and struggled to find a place for themselves in big cities. In Cai’s own words, it’s a book about losers and survivors, generations of Chinese men and women caught in the whirlwind of manic economic growth from the 1980s to the present. VESSEL is Cai's story, but also theirs.
More Information
Rights Information
Rights sold:
Mann, Ivanov & Ferber (Russia)
Alpha Media (Korea)
HarperVia (World English)
Marketing Information
Sold to HarperVia in a pre-empt
The phenomenal number one bestseller
Over three million copies sold in China
Film rights sold to Hong Kong superstar, Andy Lau
Endorsements
“An unprecedented and heartfelt first-hand deep dive into the lives of rural Chinese workers that ultimately achieves universality in its portrait of generational strife, family, love and loss. A Chinese GLASS CASTLE or HILLBILLY ELEGY that neither romanticizes nor casts the elder generation as backwards and stuck but offers a way forward where tradition enriches modern life.” – Juan Mila, HarperVia
“VESSEL is an exploration of the self and the other, and of the past and the present. It opens up in this new field of nonfiction a new frontier that is thoughtful and well-written but also wholly unique.” — Yan Lianke, Man Booker International Prize shortlisted author of THE EXPLOSION CHRONICLES
“The perfect book to take on a long journey in an unfamiliar place: a book to take out at the end of each day to slowly thumb through in the still of the night. It took him a long time to write it and I hope I can invest even more than that as a reader. The best way to experience this book and to get the most out of it is to slow down and let it wash over you.” — Han Han, author of 1988 and THE PROBLEM WITH ME
“Good luck is often a matter of the people that come into your life. The people that inspire you are like beacons in the fog. Several such people appear in Cai Chongda's VESSEL, inspiring him and leading him along the path toward the man he would become. For me, Cai and his book have become just such an inspiration, like another beacon in the fog.” — Andy Lau, Hong Kong actor, singer, and producer
“A truly astonishing work. The title gives us a hint as to the essence of the work. Cai clearly has deep feelings for his hometown and his family and he tells the stories of both with loving care, but it is his admirable objectivity and appropriate literary distance that make them truly remarkable.” — Alai, Mao Dun Literature Prize winning author of RED POPPIES
“In a matter of years, Cai Chongda rose from a position as a reporter to sitting atop the masthead of a string of periodicals. His rise may seem meteoric but his career was built on a solid foundation. With VESSEL, he is not simply peddling the story of his success, but is returning to what is most near and dear to him. This book is Cai's examination of the circumstances that produced him, but it is also an examination of his own heart. Cai scrutinizes the issues that all of us must face together.” — Bai Yansong, Chinese news anchor and commentator
Author Biography
Cai Chongda (b 1982) was born in a small coastal town in the Fujian Province . At twenty seven, He became the Director of Reporting at GQ China, the youngest person to hold this position in GQ's seventeen international branches. He is the founder of Magmode, a menswear brand incubator and fashion store. VESSEL is his first book and his sold over three million copies in China.
The Grayhawk Agency
Founded in 2008 by Gray Tan, we are a leading literary agency in Asia, representing over 200 foreign publishers and agents in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. We also represent a select list of Asian authors in film/tv and translation, whose works have been licensed in over 30 countries and to production companies in Asia, Europe, and Hollywood.
View all titlesBibliographic Information
- Publisher Guomai
- Publication Date December 2014
- Orginal LanguageChinese simplified
- ISBN/Identifier 9787201088945
- Publication Country or regionChina
- FormatHardback
- Primary Price 49.80 CNY
- Pages264
- ReadershipGeneral
- Publish StatusPublished
- Original Language Title皮囊
- Original Language Authors蔡崇达
- Copyright Year2014
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