Beijing, China

Beijing, China is where Yiyun Li was born and raised. She grew up during the Communist regime and remembers big political events such as the Tiananmen Square massacre. Li remembers walking dangerous roads to and from school and going with her father to collect their family's food rations. She also has many memories from her mandatory military service which everyone in her incoming university class was forced to do after Tiananmen Square. Beijing, China represents the life Yiyun Li was born into, but not the life she chooses. From an early age, she always know she would leave China. This was not a question for her and her leaving is both an emotional and physical departure from this time and place in her life.

United States of America

The United States of America is where Li emigrates to when she leaves China. The United States represent...