Select Page

Episode 3 • Robert Wang

Apr 1, 2021 | 0 comments

Host & Guest

Guest, Robert Wang

Host, Kathleen Kaiser

Producer, Adanna Moriarty

About This Episode

Robert Wang talks about his award-winning book, “The Opium Lord’s Daughter,” a life-long project that he finally completed after retiring. As a historical novelist, Wang discusses how he researched the book that explains the beginnings of China’s troubles with the west, which started with the Opium Wars. www.robertwangauthor.com

 

About Robert Wang

Born in Japan and raised in Hong Kong before moving to the United States nearly fifty years ago, Chinese American businessman Robert Wang has a firsthand perspective of both Asian and Western cultures and their entwined history.

Since he first learned as a schoolboy how the Opium War formed the basis for modern Chinese politics and history, Wang had been fascinated by this period, which became the catalyst determining how modern China has been shaped—and hindered—by Western colonization. Even after settling in the United States, starting a family, and becoming a successful entrepreneur and a pioneer in the aerospace industry, Wang remained an ardent Sinophile, engrossed in the lessons and impact of the Opium War and its aftermath. This passion only grew as Wang took note of the modern parallels—particularly the current opioid crisis—that echo similar events and actions from this earlier period.

Wang spent years researching the history, facts, and fictions of the Opium War, talking to numerous experts on the subject, both in the United States as well as on Mainland China. In 2018 he embarked on an intensive research trip to Guangzhou (Canton), the nexus of the opium trade and the ensuing conflict, and was granted rare private tours of its museums, led by some of China’s preeminent scholars on the topic.

What he saw and learned provided an exceptional window into many of the elements that eventually found its way into Wang’s first book on the subject, The Opium Lord’s Daughter, a historical novel told from both perspectives—Chinese and Western—about this dramatic and history-altering conflict. Wang’s story takes the reader directly into a tale spanning two continents, vividly told through the perspectives of several colorful main characters whose stories serve to illuminate both the intricacies and the sweep of this critical period in history.

Wang is a father of three daughters and a proud grandfather of three, and resides in Los Angeles with his wife Cindy.

Related Episodes

Season 3 | Episode 5 • Kathleen & Adanna

Season 3 | Episode 5 • Kathleen & Adanna

Kathleen and Adanna jump into the nitty gritty of what branding should look like for the author and how to incorporate it into your marketing phases across all your platforms. From interior layout to cover design and your website and social media, it’s a crucial part of book creation. Listen to the episode and get your creative juices flowing on how you want to be represented to your readership.

Season 3 |Episode 4 • Catherine Ann Jones

Season 3 |Episode 4 • Catherine Ann Jones

A memoir could be the most important thing you ever try to write. It’s not an easy journey. It takes courage and introspection, and well some grasp of your memories. In this episode, the storied Catherine Ann Jones joins Kathleen and Adanna to discuss the craft of a memoir. Catherine delivers tons of information on building your story. Even when you think, “maybe my life hasn’t been interesting enough,” you’re probably wrong. That’s where bravery comes in, to dig deep and get it out there.

Season 3 | Episode 3 • Steve Kidd

Season 3 | Episode 3 • Steve Kidd

What does a successful marketing campaign take to make you a bestselling author? Today’s Talking Book Publishing’s guest is Steve Kidd. He’s a marketing guru starting out in the early days of internet marketing and the author of twenty books. He walks listeners through some key points in using Amazon and the importance of building and using your internet community to sell books, whether it’s a new release or you published 15 years ago.

0 Comments

Leave a Reply