Alec Ash

wish lanterns

The Mountains Are High (Scribe, 2024)

A reported literary nonfiction memoir relating a year of living in a village in Dali, southwest China, where new 'reverse migrants' fleeing China's cities have come to find an alternative way of life.

Audiobook narrated by the author



wish lanterns

China's New Youth (Arcade, 2020)

A paperback re-issue of Wish Lanterns, with a new title, forward, fresh material, and an afterword updating the lives of the six young Chinese followed in the original book.

With a forward by Karoline Kan



wish lanterns

Wish Lanterns (Picador, 2016)

A narrative, literary nonfiction exploration of China's transformative young generation, following the lives of six young Chinese as they struggle to build a future for themselves and their country, including an aspiring rockstar called Lucifer and a Party official's daughter.

A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week



while we're here

While We're Here (Earnshaw Books, 2015 – editor)

An anthology from the Anthill writers' colony, a mix of nonfiction, fiction and poetry, edited by Alec Ash and Tom Pellman, delving deep into the experience of being a foreigner in China. Ash's chapter is about his hutong neighbours in Beijing.

With contributions from David Moser and Kaiser Kuo



chinese characters

Chinese Characters (University of California Press, 2012 – contributor)

A book of reportage focusing on the human stories behind China's phenomenal growth and social change, also featuring Peter Hessler, Evan Osnos and Ian Johnson. Ash's chapter is about a young Tibetan caught between two worlds.

With a forward by Pankaj Mishra



cover

A BBC Book of the Week

"A talented young observer of today’s China" – Peter Hessler

"Lyrical ... a telling portrait" – Washington Post

"Alive with the full complications of truth" – Evan Osnos

"Compelling and beautifully written" – Prospect