Xiran Jay Zhao: “It’s important to push back against the idea that women just have to grin and bear it.”
Xiran Jay Zhao made a striking debut with ‘Iron Widow’. The sequel is out, and film rights have already been sold.
Editor’s note: This interview was originally conducted and published in Portuguese in 2023, in Time Out Lisboa. The original version, which appeared in indirect speech, has been translated and significantly edited for clarity and length.
“Portuguese people are the only ones who can pronounce my name properly,” Xiran Jay Zhao tells us with a laugh.
A first-generation immigrant, Zhao was born in China but grew up in Canada. They studied biochemistry at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver before swapping lab work for storytelling. Winner of a British Science Fiction Award for Best Young Readers’ Book, their debut—Iron Widow1, a sci-fi mecha novel that reimagines the life of Wu Zetian, the only woman to rule China as emperor—became a bestseller and may soon be adapted for the big screen. Their latest work, Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor, marks the beginning of a fantasy series for young readers. We caught up with them at Comic Con Portugal 2023, held at Lisbon’s Altice Arena, to discuss their career, the themes of their work, and the future of their writing.
This is your first time in Portugal. How has the experience been so far?
It is! And I wasn’t sure what to expect, but everything feels so relaxed—there’s no rush to do anything. It’s very different from what I’m used to.
You debuted in 2021, but a lot of people discovered you earlier, through your YouTube channel. How did that happen?
The live-action Mulan came out in 2020, and I was so disappointed [by its cultural inaccuracies] that I created a YouTube channel just to post a 30-minute rant. It went viral and got me 80,000 followers overnight.
At the time, Iron Widow hadn’t even been published yet, but I knew I had to do something. My book was published by a Penguin Random House subsidiary, and I wouldn’t have the same marketing budget as other major releases.
So I thought, ‘Alright, I have to get on TikTok and promote my book, or there won’t be a career at all.’
From biochemistry to bestselling author—how did your journey into the publishing world begin?
I always dreamed of being published, and, to be honest, I tanked grades in college because I was pushing to make it happen. And since I graduated right in the middle of the pandemic, I had no choice but to stay home.
I wrote Iron Widow in my final semester and managed to sell it a month later.
But it wasn’t for a huge amount, so my parents were convinced it wouldn’t sustain me. I even applied for a medical specialisation program, but I wasn’t accepted, which disappointed them even more.
Did your success change their minds?
Selling Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor2 at auction, for a six-figure sum, helped convince them that writing could be a career. They’re still trying to get me to settle down, though. They have rigid ideas about how life should be lived, and they keep telling me to get married and have kids. I’ve told them so many times that’s not what I want.
What inspired you to write Iron Widow?
I was watching Darling in the Franxx, an anime where pairs of teenagers pilot giant robots to protect humanity. In a conversation with a friend, I started reimagining what the story could have been, and I realised if I had written it, it would’ve gone in a totally different direction. And that’s when I realised — I had a whole new story to tell.
The book blends Chinese history, mythology, and sci-fi mecha. Did you expect it to appeal beyond a niche audience?
Not at all! But I think the mix of influences resonated with people. The war machines in Iron Widow are designed after mythic East Asian creatures, and the story reimagines Wu Zetian’s life as a futuristic, dystopian version of medieval China. It explores what would happen if humanity had to fight off alien creatures using massive mecha, and it questions the system that forces women into submission.
Speaking of which, Iron Widow has been praised for its feminist themes. Was that a conscious choice?
Yes! Even though I think of myself as strong, I’ve been easily influenced because I was raised to put others first. Growing up as a girl, you’re subjected to so many more abuses.
Wu Zetian is way stronger than I, and I think we need more stories where women don’t just swallow their rage or take the so-called moral high ground. Zetian definitely doesn’t.
There are also moments when Zetian judges the other concubines, but women often don’t have a choice. Part of her arc is learning how to respect that — and how to be a feminist at the same time.
Which parts of the writing process felt effortless, and which ones tested you?
I love writing battle scenes. It’s like playing ping-pong — figuring out the protagonist’s move, then the antagonist’s counter. Then I go back and layer it in, like rendering a CGI sequence. I genuinely enjoy choreographing them.
I struggle more with emotional conversations. The first meeting between Wu Zetian and Li Shimin was particularly tough to write. His personality ended up completely different from what I initially imagined because I realised Zetian wouldn’t tolerate him otherwise. I rewrote that scene so many times.
You mentioned that Iron Widow might be adapted for the big screen. Can you tell us more?
The film rights have been sold, but I’m trying to stay emotionally detached. You never know with Hollywood — whether the project will be greenlit or not. I promised myself I’ll only celebrate when filming starts. But if it happens, I definitely want to be involved and have as much creative control as possible.
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A middle-grade fantasy adventure about a 12-year-old who is woefully unprepared when he discovers he was born to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China