My Life in China and America: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

My Life in China and America, credited to Yung Wing (容闳), is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of My Life in China and America by Yung Wing (容闳). Read in English by Ted Lai. My Life in China and America by Yung Wing is more than a memoir — it’s a firsthand account of a life lived between worlds at a pivotal moment in history. Widely considered the first major Chinese American autobiography, and one of the earliest works of Asian American literature, it offers a rare and deeply personal perspective on identity, immigration, and cultural exchange. As the first Chinese graduate of Yale University, Yung Wing’s journey traces both the promise and complexity of East–West relations in the 19th century. Through his role in leading the Chinese Educational Mission, he championed education as a bridge between nations — while also confronting the growing prejudice that would culminate in policies like the Chinese Exclusion Act. Yung Wing's memoir also demonstrates what it means to be Asian American, able to go between two cultures while not fully fitting into either. This memoir offers listeners an intimate, deeply human story of resilience and vision — making it not only a cornerstone of American history, but a powerful narrative that still resonates today. - Summary by Ted Lai

Recording facts

• Recording title: My Life in China and America
• Author credits: Yung Wing (容闳)
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 23
• Listed recording duration: 6:28:38

Catalogue topics

• memoir
• china
• asian
• yungwing
• asian-american
• chinese-american

Track guide

1. 01 - Preface and I. Boyhood — 22:51
2. 02 - II. School Days — 12:08
3. 03 - III. Journey to America and First Experiences There — 8:57
4. 04 - IV. At Monson Academy — 10:32
5. 05 - V. My College Days — 11:16
6. 06 - VI. Return To China — 22:22
7. 07 - VII. Effort to Find a Position — 11:47
8. 08 - VIII. Experiences in Business — 16:34
9. 09 - IX. My First Trip to the Tea Districts — 22:49
10. 10 - X. My Visit to the Taipings — 23:23
11. 11 - XI. Reflections on the Taiping Rebellion — 14:31
12. 12 - XII. Expedition to the Taiping Tea District — 20:11
13. 13 - XIII. My Interviews with Tsang Kwoh Fan — 23:26
14. 14 - XIV. My Mission to America to Buy Machinery — 8:18
15. 15 - XV. My Second Return to China — 13:10
16. 16 - XVI. Proposal of My Educational Scheme — 13:18
17. 17 - XVII. The Chinese Educational Mission — 14:36
18. 18 - XVIII. Investigation of the Coolie Trap — 7:19
19. 19 - XIX. End of the Educational Mission — 25:26
20. 20 - XX. Journey to Peking and Death of My Wife — 11:44
21. 21 - XXI. My Recall to China — 22:12
22. 22 - XXII Coup D'Etat of 1898 — 11:18
23. 23 - Appendix — 40:30

Listen to this recording

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Source and rights

This is a record from LibriVox's official Internet Archive collection, with a public-domain licence recorded in its metadata. LibriVox's policy includes its catalogue summaries as well as its recordings. Its public-domain assessment follows United States law; copyright status can differ elsewhere. The summary and track facts are reproduced and reformatted from that record. Dates attached to the archive upload are not treated as original book publication dates.