Book Talk with Lily Qi: Elected American, From Red China to Blue Maryland

In conversation with the first native of Communist China elected to a state legislature in the U.S., in Maryland.
About this Event

is a 2026 political memoir and immigrant autobiography written by Maryland State Delegate Lily Qi. The book chronicles her remarkable journey from growing up in Mao Zedong's China during the cultural revolution to becoming the first Chinese-born state legislator elected in Maryland.

As the only current U.S. state legislator to have lived through China's Cultural Revolution, Qi brings a rare cross-system comparison to modern American politics, warning Americans never to take democracy or freedom for granted.

Tickets:

$15 for general admission

$40 GA + copy of the book

Admission includes complimentary lunch buffet.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lily Qi has served as a Maryland state legislator representing a Washington, D.C., suburb since 2019, 30 years after her solo journey as an international student. The only U.S. state legislator who lived through China’s Cultural Revolution, she brings a rare immigrant and cross-system perspective to democracy and what it means to become American. Featured by The Washington Post, NPR, and other U.S. and international media, Lily is a longtime cultural broker and leading voice on immigrant integration and civic and political engagement.