About Lillian Li
Lillian Li was a novelist and writer.
Lillian Li is a Chinese American author. Her novel Number One Chinese Restaurant was an NPR Best Book of 2018 and was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction and the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Early life Li was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and grew up in Maryland. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University and her Master of Fine Arts in fiction from the University of Michigan's Helen Zell Writers’ Program.
Career Li has taught at the University of Michigan. She writes for the Michigan Quarterly Review. Granta, One Story, Bon Appétit, Travel + Leisure, The Guardian, Glimmer Train, and Jezebel.
Number One Chinese Restaurant was her first novel. The inspiration for writing Number One Chinese Restaurant came from a summer Li spent working twelve-hour shifts at a Peking duck restaurant outside of Washington, D.C.
Published works
Awards Hopwood Award in Short Fiction Glimmer Train New Writer Award
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Important facts
Frequently asked questions
Who was Lillian Li?
American writer
When was Lillian Li born?
Lillian Li was born in Ann Arbor.
What was Lillian Li's occupation?
Lillian Li was a novelist and writer.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Lillian Li. https://biography.guide/lillian-li/
MLA: "Lillian Li." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/lillian-li/.
Chicago: "Lillian Li." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/lillian-li/.
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