Claire Chao

Claire Chao (simplified Chinese: 赵芝洁; traditional Chinese: 趙芝潔; pinyin: Zhào Zhījié; born July 7, 1962, in Hong Kong) is a Chinese-American writer and author. She collaborated with her mother, Isabel Sun Chao, on a family memoir, Remembering Shanghai: A Memoir of Socialites, Scholars and Scoundrels. The idea for a memoir about Sun Chao's childhood in 1930s and 40s Shanghai and ancestors going back to the mid-19th century was sparked by their 2008 visit to the family home.[1]

Early life and education

Chao is the daughter of Shanghai-born Raymond Chao, an advertising executive, and Isabel Sun Chao, cultural affairs specialist at the US Consulate General in Hong Kong. She attended Kennedy Road Junior School,[2] Island School, and Hong Kong International School. She graduated from Princeton University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art and Archaeology.[3] Chao lives in Honolulu with her husband, John Falzarano, a retired physician.[4]

Chao had focused her senior thesis at Princeton on the Qing dynasty landscape artist Wang Hui and while researching Remembering Shanghai discovered a link to her grandfather, the collector Sun Bosheng. In 2018, during Chao's 35th reunion, the Princeton University Art Museum mounted an exhibition of landscapes by Wang Hui and invited her to speak.[5] Chao's maternal uncle, Sun Shufen was author of 55 books in China, including several based on their family, notably a trilogy about his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather: Baofashijia (1995), Fengyuyangchang (1996), and Baizhuzhichong (1997)[6]

Career

Chao spent 30 years working in brand marketing in Asia, including at Hill & Knowlton, where she was Manager in Beijing [7] and Group Manager in Hong Kong (1983-1989);[8] management roles at Tiffany and Co. in Hong Kong [9] and Honolulu, concluding with Regional Vice President—Pacific (1990-1999);[10] and Senior Vice President—North Asia at Burberry Asia Limited (2002-2004). Since 2000, Chao's Honolulu-based marketing consultancy CHAO LLC, has served clients such as Harry Winston, LVMH and CIRCA.[11]

Isabel Sun Chao (left) with Claire Chao in Hong Kong, November 2018.

Published in May 2018, Remembering Shanghai: A Memoir of Socialites, Scholars and Scoundrels covers five generations of the Sun family.[12] The book was republished in October 2021 by Girl Friday Books.[13] Themes include intergenerational relationships within affluent Chinese families in the pre-World War II era and the pressures on wealthy families in Shanghai during the Communist rise to power and subsequent victory.[14]

Remembering Shanghai is being adapted into a drama series.[1]

Awards
  • Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Award GRAND PRIZE [15]
  • Independent Press Awards MEMOIR, NEW NON-FICTION [16]
  • BIBA Best Indie Book Award MEMOIR[17]
  • Sarton Women's Book Awards MEMOIR Finalist [18]

References
  1. McHugh, Fionnuala (December 9, 2017). "Growing up in 1930s Shanghai: Hongkonger's memoir of soirees, school days, a shooting and some Black Swans". South China Morning Post.
  2. Staff writer, Dragon Tales, “Class Notes,” Hong Kong, Hong Kong International School, Winter 2017, retrieved 14 September 2018.
  3. Staff writer, “A Bright Future for Claire,” Hongkong Standard, July 7, 1983
  4. Chao, Isabel Sun (2021). Remembering Shanghai : a memoir of socialites, scholars and scoundrels. Claire Chao. Seattle. ISBN 978-1-954854-03-1. OCLC 1264399081.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. May 2018, Princeton University Art Museum, “Gallery Talk: Remembering Shanghai: A Memoir of Socialites, Scholars and Scoundrels,” PUAM, accessed 17 September 2018.
  6. Wu, Gabriel, February 2012, “The ‘Home Affairs’ of Three Hong Kong-Based Shanghainese Writers,” SOS II, pp 283-286.
  7. (1) “Hill and Knowlton Grows with China,” Asialink, February 1987.
  8. (1) Daswani, Kavita, “Living for the Luxury of a Roof-Top Flat,” Sunday Morning Post, April 2, 1989.
  9. (1) Glain, Steve, “Some in Hong Kong See the Future, and Want It to Work,” International Herald Tribune, October 15, 1990 Townsend, Caroline, “At Home with Claire Chao,” Home Journal, April 1991 Montilla, Dende, “Tiffany Plugs into Corporate Gift-Giving,” Executive, February 1993 “Single Bright Females,” Hong Kong Tatler, June 1993 Wong, Nancy, “A Sea Change,” Sunday Morning Post Magazine, September 5, 1993 Marray, Shelagh, “Power Breakfasts at Tiffany’s,” Eve, November 1993 Arnold, Pauline, “Tops at Tiffany,” Premier, January 1994 Princeton Alumni Weekly, Class Notes, April 6, 1994 Donovan, Roberta, “Queen of Diamonds,” Hong Kong Business, January 1996.
  10. “Hawaii Pacesetters,” Pacific Business News, March 17, 1997 Princeton Alumni Weekly, Class Notes, April 16, 1997 “Diamonds, Naturally,” B magazine, September 1997 “Bishop Street,” Hawaii Business, October 1997.
  11. Pan Tianhui, December 6, 2017, 望族女兒耗時10年 為母留住舊上海大時代回憶 [This daughter spent 10 years capturing her mother’s memories of old Shanghai], Hong Kong Economic Journal, accessed 18 September 2018.
  12. Kason, Susan B., September 18, 2018, “Remembering Shanghai: A Memoir of Socialites, Scholars and Scoundrels by Isabel Sun Chao and Claire Chao,” Asia Review of Books, accessed 19 September 2018.
  13. "Remembering Shanghai". Girl Friday Productions. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  14. Kanagaratnam, Tina, March 5, 2018, “Remembering Shanghai: A Memoir of Socialites, Scholars and Scoundrels”, Historic Shanghai, accessed 19 September 2018.
  15. Lipp, Cassandra. "Meet the 28th Annual WD Self-Published Book Awards Winners". Writer's Digest. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  16. "2020 Winners Independent Press Award". IndependentBookAward. Archived from the original on 2020-05-01. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  17. "Remembering Shanghai - Official Best Indie Book Awards". Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  18. "Sarton Women's Literary Awards Winners". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
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