Lisa See is a renowned American writer and novelist known for her captivating stories that often explore the intricacies of Chinese culture and history. Born on February 18, 1955, she has gained immense popularity for her detailed and heartfelt narratives.

Some of her notable works include On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family (1995), which is a comprehensive account of her family's history. Her novels include Flower Net (1997), The Interior (1999), Dragon Bones (2003), Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2005), Peony in Love (2007), and Shanghai Girls (2009), which achieved a place on the 2010 New York Times bestseller list.

Her book, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane (2017), delves into the lives of the Akha people of Xishuangbanna, China, while The Island of Sea Women (2019) tells a tale of friendship and family secrets on Jeju Island during and after the Korean War.

Lisa See's works often focus on the lives and struggles of Chinese women, with Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love set in the 19th and 17th centuries, respectively. Shanghai Girls explores the lives of sisters navigating the challenges of Chinese-American life during the 1950s. Its sequel, Dreams of Joy, was released in 2011.

Under the pen name Monica Highland, Lisa See, with her mother Carolyn See and John Espey, published works like Lotus Land (1983), 110 Shanghai Road (1986), and Greetings from Southern California (1988), which showcases early 20th-century postcards.

Her latest novel, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, published in June 2023, is inspired by the true story of a woman physician in 15th-century China, and it has been nominated for Best Historical Fiction by Goodreads.

Lisa See has been recognized with the Golden Spike Award and the History Maker’s Award. She was named National Woman of the Year by the Organization of Chinese American Women. Her personal papers (1973–2001) are housed at UCLA, and she served as the Grand Marshal for the 2012 Golden Dragon Chinese New Year Parade in Los Angeles Chinatown.