Early life

James Chao was born in a small village in Jiading county, now part of Shanghai. Naturally, he enjoys Shanghai cuisine, with sweet flavors in almost all dishes. James Chao mentions eel paste, stir-fried eel with sugar, white pepper and many seasonings.However, as a poor immigrant coming to the United States in 1958, he had to give up his hometown's delicious food. Chicken was his major staple then.

"A whole chicken was 29 cents. I boiled it. Making use of one chicken, I could prepare three meals. Besides eating chicken, I got a pot of chicken broth." People from Shanghai love soup with meals.

While in the US, James Chao was separated from his family for three years. His wife joined him from Taiwan with their three daughters - Elaine, Jeanette and May - after a 37-day voyage over the Pacific.

James Chao loves his late wife, Ruth Mulan Chu Chao, who passed away on Aug 2, 2007. They had been together for 56 years.

"I came from a poor family, and her family was very rich," James Chao says. He has the sweetest memories of her. "I was a country boy, who was very active and energetic, such as when using a camera and developing photos myself. Winning her heart was the greatest achievement of my whole life."

James Chao's father, Yiren Chao, was the principal of a primary school in his hometown. It was common for Chinese families in those years to build big new houses as long as they had money. However, James Chao's father refused to do so. He spent almost all his money on his only child's education.

Chao's house in Jiading was really shabby and was demolished due to the construction of the Shanghai Formula 1 Track in 2005. This small house lies deep in James Chao's memory.

"Without my father's decision to not build a big house, I wouldn't have been able to get my education, and my life would be totally different."

That is Chao's family tradition and may also explain why Chao's children all went to top universities in the US.

"Basically, I learned the foundation of how to be a good person in China and how to do things in the US."