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Cheng Wang

Goodreads Author

Born

in China

Website

https://crossculturalway.com/

Twitter

https://twitter.com/haitunwang

Genre

Nonfiction, Memoir, History

Member Since

May 2020

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Cheng Wang is a writer and scholar best known for his reflective memoir, "From Tea to Coffee: The Journey of an 'Educated Youth.'" His writings explore the profound social and personal transitions of the Zhiqing generation—the "Sent-down Youth" — from China's urban centers to rural villages for re-education during Mao’s era.

From being indoctrinated as a Maoist youth to becoming a Western-trained economist, later serving as a Principal Member of the Technical Staff at AT&T, and finally becoming a published author, he has overcome many cultural and socioeconomic barriers along the way.

In his published articles, Wang bridges historical memory and contemporary identity. His work often examines the tension between traditional Eastern collectivi ...more

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Average rating: 4.71 · 52 ratings · 34 reviews · 27 distinct works • Similar authors

	From Tea to Coffee: The Journey of an Educated Youth 4.78 avg rating — 27 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	From Tea to Coffee: The Journey of an "Educated Youth" 4.63 avg rating — 24 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Second International Conference on Space Information Technology 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dong du shi lue: 130 juan (Guo li zhong yang tu shu guan shan ben cong kan) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Enterprise Data Governance and SAP MDG Realization 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Xu zhou ji: Wai wu zhong (Si ku Ming ren wen ji cong kan) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dong du shi lue : yi bai san shi juan / Wang Cheng zhuan.,東都事略 : 一百三十卷 / 王偁撰. Volume v.1-6 1795 [Leather Bound] 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dong du shi lue : yi bai san shi juan / Wang Cheng zhuan.,東都事略 : 一百三十卷 / 王偁撰. Volume v.7-12 1795 [Leather Bound] 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dong du shi lue : [130 juan] / Wang Cheng (Song) zhuan. 1883 [Leather Bound] 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Anti-Fraud Engineering for Digital Finance: Behavioral Modeling Paradigm 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Cheng Wang's Blog

A Winding Path from Re-Education Camp to Published Author

As he grew up, steeped in Communist ideals and idolatry around Mao, he felt pressure not to be seen as sympathetic to his parents, given their status as “Stinking Ninths,” the derogatory term for intellectuals who were outcasts of the Cultural Revolution. Wang embraced the cause his generation would be trained to achieve in China: “I knew I must answer the call of a lifetime,” he writes in From

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From Tea to Coffee: The Journey of an "Educated Youth"

by Cheng Wang (Goodreads Author)

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Cheng Wang said: " Here are four similar publications that address the desire to build a strong sense of self through hardship; like Tea to Coffee, they all carry a thoughtful, reflective tone throughout. They are all from different cultural and historical perspectives Here are four similar publications that address the desire to build a strong sense of self through hardship; like Tea to Coffee, they all carry a thoughtful, reflective tone throughout. They are all from different cultural and historical perspectives and thus strike a chord with readers differently.

They are:

1.Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance (Publisher: Harper Paperbacks May 1, 2018). This is, by no means, to suggest that Tea to Coffee could create a sensational sociopolitical effect anywhere close to what Hillbilly Elegy has stirred up. However, Tea to Coffee has depicted some similar socio-economical senses for a country. These similar scenes, such as poverty, lack of education, and one-sided views have led to my own reflections on many unanswered social issues. Extreme ideologies, regardless of the era and system, have a way of dividing a country’s people and ripping their society apart. Even though the Cultural Revolution has long gone in history, its marked effects are like scars burned into our brains and passed down through generations.

2.Out of Gobi by Weijian Shan (Publisher: Wiley; 1st edition January 17, 2019). As a memoir, Out of Gobi reflects time changes from the same period in history as Tea to Coffee. But the two memoirs present two completely different storylines and themes. Out of Gobi is one extraordinary fact-finding mission, with its focus on personal accomplishment along its timeline, while Tea to Coffee is more an emotion-driven journey of inner growth. While readers look to learn something intellectually from Out of Gobi, they can expect to experience something emotionally through Tea to Coffee.

3.Under Red Skies by Karoline Kan (Publisher: Hachette Books March 12, 2019). A memoir of a Chinese millennial in present-day China, the author of Under Red Skies lives and works in Beijing; thus, she sees the country and its people from the inside. It has provided a shockingly personal look and a rare, firsthand dispatch from a younger generation, reflecting the time from the 1990s onward. Tea to Coffee reveals the history of this country in a much earlier and broader sense and seeks to look at the culture from both internal and external perspectives.

4.A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley (Publisher: Berkley June 2, 2015) is a touching memoir similar in the sense of a pilgrim on a pilgrimage. The author emphasizes his long journey of persistent searching for his original birth home. It is an emotional, identity-finding mission. Tea to Coffee offers similarities in its yearning for the meaning of my home country reflectively, but I was on a quest for social, cultural, and political awakening. This often conjured up more questions than answers, inviting the reader into my experience to consider the topics for them. ...more "

May 17, 2021 05:27AM · see review

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Cheng Wang wrote a new blog post A Winding Path from Re-Education Camp to Published Author As he grew up, steeped in Communist ideals and idolatry around Mao, he felt pressure not to be seen as sympathetic to his parents, given their status Read more of this blog post »
Jul 22, 2025 06:28AM · like