Conversation with Joan Chen: Memory, Identity, Cinema, and Beyond

China Institute invites you to an evening conversation with acclaimed actor, filmmaker, and writer Joan Chen on her Chinese nonfiction work Catfish 《猫鱼》. Through family stories, the culture memory of Shanghai, behind-the-scenes stories from her film career, and reflections on love, pain, migration, and womanhood, Chen offers an intimate portrait of an artist’s life across China and America.

The conversation will be moderated by Susan Yuqing Feng, Director of Programs at China Institute, and followed by an audience Q&A and book signing.

This event will be conducted in Chinese. Copies of the book (in Chinese language) will be available for purchase on site and can be signed by the author.

Schedule

5:30–6:00 pm | Audience check-in
6:00–6:45 pm | Conversation with Joan Chen, moderated by Susan Yuqing Feng
6:45–7:00 pm | Audience Q&A
7:00–7:30 pm | Book sale and signing

About the Book

Catfish is a full-length non-fiction work written in Chinese by filmmaker Joan Chen. Through the author’s reflections, vivid stories come to life on the page: the lives of her ancestors and mother, the years spent in the old house on Pingjiang Road, the days traveling with the production caravan of Little Flower, her journey abroad to study on her own, the untold behind-the-scenes stories of each film, and the love, pain, and struggles of life.

Through the lens of family history, Chen creates a distinctive Shanghai narrative while tracing the inner lives and spiritual journey of Chinese intellectuals. From Little Flower to The Last Emperor, Yi, The Sun Also Rises, and beyond, her reflections on life on and off screen form a portrait of a film artist. From a childhood in Shanghai to building a life abroad, each chapter of her journey becomes an intimate whisper of a woman’s passion and tenderness.

《猫鱼》是电影人陈冲的非虚构长篇作品。祖辈与母亲的故事、平江路老房子的岁月，“小花”摄制组大篷车的日子，独自踏上异国留学之旅，每一部电影不为人知的幕后，生命中的爱与痛楚、挣扎，经由作者的回望，跃然纸上。写家族故事，是独特的上海叙事、中国知识分子的心灵史；从《小花》到《末代皇帝》《意》《太阳照常升起》等等的银幕前后，是电影艺术家的传记；从上海童年到异国打拼，一段段人生旅程，是女性兼具激情与柔情的私语。

Speaker and Moderator

Joan Chen

Actor, Filmmaker, Writer

Joan Chen was recruited to Shanghai Film Studio at age 14. Her performance in Little Flower earned her Best Actress Award and catapulted her to national stardom.

Throughout her illustrious career, Chen has appeared in over ninety films and television projects. Her performances have garnered widespread critical acclaim and numerous honors. Chen’s notable credits include Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor, David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, Oliver Stone’s Heaven & Earth, Ang Lee’s Lust Caution and Jiang Wen’s The Sun Also Rises. Most recently, she starred in Focus Features’ Dìdi and the Canadian film Montreal, My Beautiful.

Chen made her directorial debut in 1998 with Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl, which was critically acclaimed and won five Golden Horse Awards, including Best Director and Best Film. In 2000, the film received the National Board of Review Freedom of Expression Award and was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. She has since directed three additional films, including the Paramount Pictures production Autumn in New York, starring Richard Gere and Winona Ryder.

Susan Yuqing Feng

Moderator – Director of Programs, China Institute of America

Susan Yuqing Feng joined China Institute as Director of Programs in October of 2023. Before joining CI, Susan was the Editor in Chief of Bitpush News, a leading block chain media based in New York and a columnist for the Financial Times Chinese Edition.

Throughout her journalism career, Susan conducted interviews with a multitude of world economic and political leaders, including Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Alan Greenspan, Paul Volker, President Clinton, Zbigniew Brzeziński, Michael Bloomberg, Thomas Friedman, and many more. Susan has also directed the documentary series “World Movers” which was released in March 2018. It illustrated the emerging new world order 70 years after WWII, shedding light on what has changed the U.S. and the world and the forces affecting everyone. It focused on the relationships between technology and globalization, the impact on immigration, and the future of U.S.-China relations.

Susan graduated from Columbia University and got her MA in International Affairs.

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