Cynthia Baiqing Zhang Knihy

In an overheated Beijing, researcher Elijah Ahmed and activist Xiang Kaifei must confront hard truths if there is any hope for themselves or the dragons they love. Cover art by Wang Xulin.

The book explores the interplay between identity and social networks among 60 U.S. graduate students from mainland China. Through interviews, it reveals how the students' evolving religious and ethnic identities, alongside their established family and partner identities, influence and are influenced by their social connections. This examination highlights the complex dynamics of identity formation within the context of migration and cultural adaptation.