Conversations with Chinese Authors in New York: Jian Yang’s Dragon-Man and What Makes a Superhero 对话纽约中文作家第五讲：对话作家杨健

Author Jian Yang’s book Dragon-Man takes the most familiar Asian zodiac image – the dragon — and tells the story of a boy Ye Jianjie who became the superhero Dragon-Man.  The book integrates traditional Chinese myths, stories, and zodiac culture; explores ideals, growth, and environmental protection; and encourages young people to pursue life to the fullest.  The program will be conducted in English and Chinese for children 5 years and older.

Jian Yang was born in Zhengzhou, China and immigrated to the U.S. in 1997.  A NYU graduate, he now works an as estimator in NYCHA.  He has written a screenplay Shanghai 1937 and has an extensive knowledge of Chinese culture.

通过本次讲座，孩子们可以了解到很多自己喜欢的漫威英雄，感悟对英雄主义的认知，唤醒他们内心的责任感，从小就立志成龙，长大后去创造奇迹，成为他们想成为的人，成为一个能够实现梦想、拥有远大梦想的人。 《龙人》以亚洲人最熟悉的生肖形象龙为主题，讲述了青年叶建杰“成龙”的成长故事。它融合东方传统神话、传统故事和生肖文化，探讨理想、成长、环保等命题，鼓励青少年全面发展对人生价值的追求。

杨健出生于河南郑州，1997年定居美国。纽约大学计算机硕士毕业，现在纽约房屋局从事预算投标工作。从小爱好文学、电影，曾写过一部电影剧本《上海1937》。对中美文化有独到的见解和洞察力。