Biographers extract extraordinary tales from lives of ordinary people

Involved process

Tong said it takes him around three months on average to complete a memoir, which usually contains around 80,000 characters.

The process of producing a memoir involves initial communication, signing a contract, setting schedules, conducting multiple online and in-person interviews, writing sample chapters, formal writing of the document and editing, then finally getting it designed and printed.

Tong started writing memoirs in 2020, when he received a request from a company owner and designer in Dali, Yunnan province. The businessman, aged in his 50s, hoped to summarize his life experiences, thoughts and entrepreneurial strategies for both himself and his successor at the company.

Tong said over the past five years, he has finished five memoirs of older people. "Since the second half of last year, I have received more inquiries from people to write the memoirs of their elders — or for people who are about to retire themselves. During this boom, I have seen a growing will to express themselves and give them a sense of identity."

Such memoirs are not only to fulfill the needs of family elders, but also benefit their descendants.