Chen Chen and his children

AUTHOR	CHEN, GUO
TRANSLATOR
PUBLISHER	New York New Century Press
PUBLISH DATE	1/10/2026
ISBN	978-1-64083-316-6
LANGUAGE	CHINESE
CHINESE BOOK NAME	陈晨和他的孩子们

Content Introduction

Chen Chen and His Children is a 350,000-word, 48-chapter documentary-style biographical literary work. Drawing on extensive historical materials, memories, and narrative accounts, the author reconstructs the dramatic and eventful life of Chen Chen, an early Chinese film cinematographer. This is not only a story of an individual’s fate, but also a life narrative reflecting the transformations of modern Chinese history and culture.

The book is also highly compelling in its portrayal of character. Through everyday details and family memories, the author presents a vivid and multi-dimensional figure. Chen Chen is depicted as a talented cinematographer, a gentle and restrained father, and an ordinary man shaped by the turbulent tides of his time.

In the book, the author brings back to life a segment of history that had nearly been buried by time. It took five years to complete and present this work to readers.

Chen Chen was a participant, witness, and recorder of the Chinese War of Resistance Against Japan. He was also an important cinematographic artist in the history of Chinese cinema, using his camera to document history, while his daughter uses words to trace his life.

This book serves both as a biography of Chen Chen and as a recollection of an era and a family’s memories. It is not only the personal history of a filmmaker, but also a historical testament to nation and home, art, dignity, and love.

Chen Guo (KAREN CHEN) is a dancer, dance critic, poet, and writer.

She is the author of the poetry collections A Walker on the Road and Shadows, as well as the memoir Chen Chen and His Children. She was formerly a principal performer with the China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater and a contributing writer for Dance magazine in China. She graduated from the History and Theory Department of the Beijing Dance Academy.

In 1988, she moved to the United States, where she studied under two masters of modern dance, Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis. Over the years, she has been engaged in the exchange and transmission of Eastern and Western dance traditions. She is a Buddhist and currently resides in New York.