Welcome to the website of When the Phoenix Rises, by Wendy Wong!

When the Phoenix Rises is a true-life memoir by Wendy Wong, a Chinese businesswoman who made a name for herself by her successes in both Hong Kong and Hawaii.

This autobiography chronicles the life of Wendy, a determined young girl who surmounts all the odds. Like the mythical Phoenix, she rose from abject poverty and illness in post World War II Hong Kong to experience the epitome of destiny, success, love, and intrigue. It is a proverbial “rags to riches” story of a girl whose close call with death galvanized her determination to live life to the fullest and rise above adversity. That unrelenting vow led Wendy to unimaginable heights, as she ascended into wealthy circles to become one of the most successful businesswomen in Hong Kong and Hawaii. Along the way, she was secretly courted by one of the world’s richest men, a Hawaiian real estate tycoon, when she was a young student in Hawaii.

The book describes Wendy’s journey through life as a daughter, lover, businesswoman, wife, and mother. The story is a romance, a drama, and a travelogue and chronicles her love affairs. It relates her journeys and adventures around the world, the joys and tragedies of her life, the successes of her career, and the wealth of memories and experiences of a woman whose story will interest, inspire and amaze those who immerse themselves in it.

Written from a first person point of view, this life story starts in the tenements of Hong Kong and follows Wendy’s ascent into success and prosperity and the many lovers along the way who influenced and touched her heart, from the first love to the last.

When the Phoenix Rises ends in the present day. Wendy is married and the mother of a talented son and a developmentally disabled daughter. But what should she do about her predicament when the first love who spurned her so many years ago recently re-entered her life?

In the last chapter, Wendy expresses her unique views as a 21st Century Chinese businesswoman who experienced the ups and downs of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and now the 2008-09 global economic depression. 

When the Phoenix Rises has received endorsements from numerous academic and business luminaries in the U.S., including such notables as the President of the Chinese Community Broadcasting Channel, a former professor from University of Hawaii and other well-known writers.