This first-ever biography exploring the life of Ping Chong (1946), successful avant-garde artist and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, focuses on his valuable contributions to modern theater. Drawing on primary sources and her own attendance of Chong's productions, the author takes a broad and informative approach to his work as a performer, playwright and director over more than 40 years. His formative connection the to Chinese opera is traced through his upbringing as the child of immigrants in New York's Chinatown.