The Six

The Untold Story of the Titanic's Chinese Survivors

Steven Schwankert

A moving exploration of the origins and fate of the little-known Chinese passengers aboard the Titanic—and how they survived against all odds.

When Titanic sank on a cold night in 1912, barely 700 people escaped with their lives. Among them were six Chinese men. Arriving in New York, these six were met with suspicion and slander. Less than 24 hours later, they were expelled from the country, and vanished. When historian Steven Schwankert first stumbled across the fact that eight Chinese nationals were on-board, of whom all but two survived, he couldn’t believe that there could still be untold personal histories from the Titanic.

Now, at last, their story can be told. The result of meticulous research, dogged investigation, and interviews with family member, The Six is an epic journey crosses continents that reveals the full story of these six forgotten survivors. Who were Ah Lam, Chang Chip, Cheong Foo, Fang Lang (or Fong Wing Sun), Lee Bing, and Ling Hee? Professional seafarers, their incredible journeys reveal a overlooked but all-too-common experience of inequality and racism. The Titanic continues to reveal a multitude of stories, and the lives of these six men add an additional layer of humanity and nuance to one of the most storied shipwrecks in human history.

Steven Schwankert is an award-winning writer and editor. He is the co-creator of "The Six," a documentary project about the Chinese passengers aboard RMS Titanic. He is the author of Poseidon: China's Secret Salvage of Britain's Lost Submarine and Beijing & Shanghai, a guidebook now in its third edition. Steven is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a fellow and East and South Asia Chapter Chair of The Explorers Club, and founded SinoScuba.  He led the first-ever scientific expedition to dive Mongolia's Lake Khovsgol, where he and his team found two wooden shipwrecks from the early 20th century. His writing has appeared in The Asian Wall Street Journal, The South China Morning Post, Billboard, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and more.  He divides his time between New York City and the People's Republic of China.

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