Claire Chao (Chinese: 赵芝洁; traditional: 趙芝潔; pinyin: Zhào Zhījié; born July 7 1962 in Hong Kong) is a Chinese‑American writer, author, and former brand‑marketing executive. She is best known as the co‑author, with her mother Isabel Sun Chao, of the memoir Remembering Shanghai: A Memoir of Socialites, Scholars and Scoundrels, which chronicles five generations of the Sun family in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Early life and education
Chao is the daughter of Raymond Chao, a Shanghai‑born advertising executive, and Isabel Sun Chao, who worked as a cultural affairs specialist for the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong. She attended Kennedy Road Junior School, Island School, and Hong Kong International School. In 1983 she graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Art and Archaeology, completing a senior thesis on Qing‑dynasty landscape painter Wang Hui.
Professional career
After university, Chao spent three decades in brand‑marketing and communications across Asia. She held managerial positions at Hill & Knowlton in Beijing and Hong Kong (1983–1989), and senior roles at Tiffany & Co. in Hong Kong and Honolulu. From 1990 to 1999 she served as Regional Vice President—Pacific for Tiffany & Co., and later as Senior Vice President—North Asia at Burberry Asia Limited (2002–2004). In 2000 she founded CHAO LLC, a Honolulu‑based marketing consultancy that has advised clients such as Harry Winston, LVMH, and CIRCA.
Writing
The idea for Remembering Shanghai originated during a 2008 family visit to the Chao ancestral home in Shanghai. The book, first published in May 2018 and republished in October 2021 by Girl Friday Books, interweaves personal family history with the broader social and political context of pre‑World War II Shanghai and the subsequent Communist era. It has received multiple literary recognitions, including the Writer’s Digest Self‑Published Book Award (Grand Prize), Independent Press Awards (Memoir, New Non‑Fiction), BIBA Best Indie Book Award (Memoir), and a finalist placement in the Sarton Women’s Book Awards. The memoir is in development for adaptation into a drama series.
Personal life
Chao resides in Honolulu, Hawaii, with her husband, John Falzarano, a retired physician.
Selected bibliography
- Remembering Shanghai: A Memoir of Socialites, Scholars and Scoundrels (co‑author with Isabel Sun Chao, 2018; republished 2021).
Awards and honors
- Writer’s Digest Self‑Published Book Award – Grand Prize (year unspecified).
- Independent Press Awards – Memoir, New Non‑Fiction (year unspecified).
- BIBA Best Indie Book Award – Memoir (year unspecified).
- Sarton Women’s Book Awards – Finalist (year unspecified).
This entry reflects information available from reliable encyclopedic sources as of 2024.