Cai Chongda was born in 1982. He grew up in the small coastal town of Minnan in China's Fujian Province. At age 24, Cai became the News Editor of influential Chinese magazine, Modern Weekly. Three years later, he was hired by GQ China as Editorial Director, becoming the youngest person to hold this position across GQ's seventeen international branches. In 2015, Cai branched into the fashion world, founding the menswear brand Magmode. He currently resides in Beijing.
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 Deeply moving...Cai's deep respect and love for the people who are important to him shine through in his beautiful and poignant profiles. - Booklist 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, author of Three Brothers: Memoirs of My Family and The Explosion Chronicles The people that inspire you are like beacons in the fog...For me, Cai and his book have become another beacon. - Golden Horse Award-winning actor Andy Lau Vessel sails briskly over rough seas, bobbing and weaving in stormy waters. It's never smooth sailing, but Chongda's candor and courage make up for the tumultuous ride. - BookPage Essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary life in China, and highly recommended for memoir enthusiasts in general. - Library Journal (starred review) Vessel is a unique look into the background of a thirty-something in contemporary China. - Asian Review of Books