Chinese on the Beach (Stories) offers a portrait of China at a turning point—when ideology gave way to ambition, and the global spotlight turned east. Set in Beijing and Shanghai, these sharp, intimate stories span the 1990s into the early 2000s, following locals, expats, and returnees as they navigate power shifts both personal and political.
Title: Chinese on the Beach
Author: Vanessa Fabiano
Publisher: Ybernia
Release Date: September 2025
ISBN: 9 788412 961782
Format: Paperback and Ebook (TBA)
Language: English
Genre: Literary fiction / Short stories
Availability: Distributed by Gardners
Cover Photo Credit: Robert Van der Hilst
Setting: Shanghai & Beijing, 1990s through early 2000s
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Blurb 01 Set in the rapidly transforming cities of Beijing and Shanghai, Chinese on the Beach unfolds against a backdrop of collapsing ideology, mass migration, and the accelerating erosion of traditional values. From the office politics of “Emperor” to the public health crisis of “Lobster,” these stories capture a generation, expats, returnees, locals, trying to survive, thrive, or simply stay afloat. Spanning the 1990s into the early 2000s, they offer a portrait of a pivotal moment in history—when China threw open its doors and the world came rushing in.
Blurb 02
Spanning the 1990s into the early 2000s, Chinese on the Beach offers a portrait of a pivotal moment in history—when China threw open its doors and the world came rushing in. Set in the rapidly transforming cities of Beijing and Shanghai, these stories capture a generation—expats, returnees, locals—trying to survive, thrive, or simply stay afloat. From “Emperor’s” portrait of a mogul battling political forces to the public health crisis of “Lobster,” these narratives expose a country in the throes of reinvention—and the personal upheaval it left in its wake.
Blurb 03
Chinese on the Beach is set in the brief, electric window when China threw open its doors and the world came rushing in. Spanning the 1990s into the early 2000s, these stories track expats, locals, and returnees as they chase opportunity, reckon with history, and try not to fall through the cracks. A power struggle in a Beijing media empire, a love triangle shadowed by the SARS pandemic, the ruthless choreography of Shanghai’s social scene—each story explores the tensions of a country speeding toward the future, and the people caught in its wake.
Praise for Chinese on the Beach
❞ Terrific writing -- very fast-paced, beautifully rendered; narrative compelling throughout.
Mikhail Iossel, author, Professor of English at Concordia University. Founding director at Summer Literary Seminars.
❞ Vanessa’s voice is clear, precise and determined. Her descriptions reveal the idiosyncrasies of the human soul and capture a character’s vulnerability in subtle and unexpected ways. Across a wide range of settings, from the insular ballet world to corporate hallways, Fabiano pulls off depth and emotional engagement. Fabiano blends an economical usage of language with a poetic sensibility that creates empathy for any character she writes about.
Kiki Denis, award-winning author “The Last Day of Paradise”