(March 8th, 1963 — )

Ying Chang Compestine is a Chinese–American author. She has written over twenty books based on her time growing up during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. She also extensively writes about authentic Chinese cuisine.

Born and raised in Wuhan in the People’s Republic of China, Compestine’s family was considered bourgeois. The Red Guard took her family’s belongings and her father was sent to jail twice. Because of those family difficulties, Compestine lived with her grandparents.

Compestine has a degree in English and American literature, and worked as both an English teacher and an interpreter for the Bureau of Seismology in China.

Taking a master’s degree in Sociology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, she met her husband. She then moved to the United States and began teaching writing and sociology at the university level in both the US and China.

Compestine has also hosted several cooking shows, worked as a food editor for Martha Stewart, and contributed to many cooking magazines. She writes books for both adults and children, and several of her books feature recipes paired with the narration.