Ying is happy to work with teachers to tailor her presentations. There is no limit to the number of students in a session; however, she prefers each session to include no more than two consecutive grades.  Presentations can be bilingual, in English and Chinese. There is a brief Q&A at the end of all of her presentations.
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Ying does not read her books during her sessions, but she often references them. For example, she might ask a younger class to do a tai-chi pose from Crouching Tiger or teach older grades about attention-grabbing hooks using the beginning of her fiction.
In a standard presentation, Ying shares her journey of how she writes her books and inspires students to create their own stories...
For Younger Grades K-2, Ying covers:
  • The inspiration for her picture books.
  • Highlights of her life as a writer.
  • Her story growing up in China, emphasizing the rich culture and delicious food that are main themes in her work.
  • A short video that features The Runaway Rice Cake, or Boy Dumplings featuring making the recipes from the books.
  • Teach students how to use chopsticks and make dumplings.
For Older Grades, Ying covers:
  • Her journey writing her internationally acclaimed novel Revolution is Not a Dinner Party, based on her life growing up in China.
  • The process of publishing a book: developing ideas, researching, writing, working with an editor, editing and publishing.
  • The importance of rewriting, with examples of her revision process from A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts.
  • The bittersweet experience of co-authoring Secrets of the Terra-Cotta Soldier with her high-school son, as well as their research process.

​Ying's Cooking Classes : She is passionate about promoting healthy cooking and eating. Many of her books center around food and have recipes in the back. After reading her books, the students can choose their favorite recipes and cook with Ying. ​She can conduct either cooking demonstrations for large groups or hands-on cooking classes for small groups. 

​The video to the right features Ying cooking with students at the Singapore American School.
Ying's Writer-in-Residence program is an in-depth, multiple-day writing workshop aimed to teach students about the basics of writing. By the end of the program, each student will have finished their own story! Click below for the Writer-in-Residence page.
Ying's Skype Sessions are very popular with teachers whose students have read Ying's books and would like to correspond directly with Ying. Students often prepare questions ahead of time and engage in inspirational conversations with her. In addition to answering their questions, Ying also shares her process for writing.
Follow Ying on social media!