Nien Cheng or Zheng Nian (1915-2009) is the pen name of Yao Nien Yuan. Imprisoned by the Red Guard in the People’s Republic of China from 1966 to 1973, she was the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Life and Death in Shanghai. Born in Beijing, Cheng had an affluent upbringing, with her father also being a naval vice minister. By 1935 she began studying at the London School of Economics where she met her husband, Kang-chi Cheng. The couple later had a daughter, Meiping Cheng.

Kang-Chi Cheng, who passed away in 1957, was involved in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Shanghai and served as the Chinese ambassador to Australia. He later became the general manager of Shell Oil Company. As the widow of a diplomat and businessperson, and herself an adviser to Shell Oil Company, Cheng found herself in a politically dangerous position as the Cultural Revolution gathered strength in the 1960s. In 1966 she was arrested by the Red Guards and charged with espionage. For over six years, Cheng remained in solitary confinement at the No. 1 Detention House in Shanghai.

Upon her release in 1973, Cheng soon learned of the death of her daughter, Meiping, from an apparent suicide in 1967. However, after conducting a personal investigation into the matter Cheng concluded that her daughter was murdered by the Red Guards for refusing to denounce her imprisoned mother. Cheng eventually left China to emigrate to Canada in 1980. She later found solace in the Washington D.C. area and became a citizen of the United States in 1988.

Life and Death in Shanghai, Cheng’s memoir of her experiences during the Cultural Revolution, was first published in 1986. Written in English, Life and Death in Shanghai has been translated into at least fourteen languages and sold across the globe. The memoir was an instant sensation and an inspiration to many as Cheng’s book rapidly ascended to the top of the New York Times bestseller list. In 1987 she was interviewed by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), National Public Radio (NPR), Larry King, and by Morley Safer on 60 Minutes. Nancy Reagan, with whom Cheng’s story resonated, persuaded her husband, President Ronald Reagan, to invite Cheng to a White House state dinner in 1987.

Following the release of Life and Death in Shanghai, Cheng spent several years on the college and public lecture circuit sharing her story. Cheng first came to Slippery Rock University in 1987 as a guest speaker for the newly founded Academic Honors Convocation, where she received SRU’s first Humanitarian Award. Her relationship with the University continued to grow through the efforts of SRU Vice-Provost and Associate Vice President Louis Razzano. With Cheng’s blessing, Razzano created an endowed scholarship at SRU in 1989 in honor of her daughter Meiping, the Meiping Cheng Memorial Scholarship. Cheng bequeathed her library and personal papers to Slippery Rock University following her death in 2009.