The Six

Steven Schwankert thought there were no new Titanic stories to be told – then he found the Six.

When Titanic sank on a cold night in 1912, less than half of those aboard survived. Among these survivors were six Chinese men. Unlike their Western counterparts, upon reaching solid ground in New York these men were almost immediately expelled from the country and, to some extent, the history books.

Now at last their stories can be told.

The result of meticulous research, dogged investigation and personal interviews, The Six is an epic journey of research that crosses continents to reveal the tales of these six forgotten survivors. Their names were Ah Lam, Chang Chip, Cheong Foo, Fang Lang (or Fong Wing Sun), Lee Bing and Ling Hee.

Were they heroes? Were they cowards? Or were they just lucky?

About the Author

Steven Schwankert is a maritime historian and award-winning writer. He has previously written Poseidon: China's Secret Salvage of Britain's Lost Submarine. A Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society and Explorers Club, and founder of SinoScuba, in 2007 he led the first expedition to dive Lake Khovsgol (Mongolia). Steven's work has been published globally, for Asian Wall St Journal, South China Morning Post, Billboard, Variety, and New York Times and Washington Post (online). Former deputy Asia editor of the Hollywood Reporter, former editor of Computerworld HongKong, and former managing editor of asia.internet.com, he lives in Beijing.

Praise for The Six

"Resurrecting forgotten voices from history's most famous shipwreck, Schwankert's meticulous research unveils the harrowing journey of the Chinese Titanic survivors, exposing a deeply human narrative lost to time and prejudice."
   - Amy Tan, author of The Backyard Bird Chronicles, The Joy Luck Club

"Occasionally a book comes along that adds a totally new perspective to a story we all think we know so well. 'The Six' is just such a book. Schwankert's research revises the narrative of that infamous night on the Titanic by revealing the stories of the six Chinese men who survived."
   - Paul French, author of Her Lotus Year, Midnight in Peking

"Steven Schwankert's gripping tour de force uncovers the untold stories of the Chinese passengers aboard Titanic. Through meticulous research, he reveals their true identities and family histories..."
   - Tad Fitch, co-author of On a Sea of Glass, The Life & Loss of RMS Titanic