In 1873, 12-year-old Yan Phou Lee left China to study in the United States. Over the next 50 years he became a popular orator, the first Asian American to publish a book in English, a fierce opponent of anti-Chinese prejudice, and a graduate of the Yale College Class of 1887 — as well as the progenitor of four later generations of Yalies. Marked by triumph and tragedy, his story offers a unique window into Asian-American history.

Read more about Yane Phou Lee in the Yale Alumni Magazine here.