The Six: The Untold Story of the Titanic's Chinese Survivors

by Steven R. Schwankert

A moving exploration of the origins and fate of the little-known Chinese passengers aboard the Titanic—and how they survived against all the 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. This is their story, the result of meticulous research, dogged investigation, and interviews with family members. This epic journey crosses continents, revealing the full story 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, and their journeys reveal a overlooked but all-too-common experience of inequality and racism.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Biography, Historical

240 pages, Hardcover

Published April 8, 2025

About the author

Steven Schwankert is an award-winning writer and editor with more than 20 years of experience in Greater China, focusing on exploration, technology, media, and culture. His book, "Poseidon: China's Secret Salvage of Britain's Lost Submarine" was published in 2013 by Hong Kong University Press. "Beijing & Shanghai," a guidebook he co-wrote for Hong Kong's Odyssey Publications, is 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, Beijing's first professional scuba diving operator. In 2007, 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.

Steven's work has been published in world-renowned and regionally-recognized publications including The Asian Wall Street Journal, The South China Morning Post, Billboard, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter. It has also appeared on the Web sites of The New York Times, The Washington Post, PC World, CIO, and MacWorld. He is a former deputy Asia editor for The Hollywood Reporter, former editor of Computerworld Hong Kong, and a former managing editor of asia.internet.com.

He is an alumnus of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst's Asian Languages department and received his Masters in journalism at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1995. Steven splits his time between his native New Jersey and the People's Republic of, China.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

Ah Lam
Fang Lang
Len Lam
Cheong Foo
Chang Chip
Ling Hee
Lee Bing
Lee Ling

It's amazing that we are still learning new things about the sinking of the Titanic 113 years after it happened. The Six is about the 6 Chinese survivors of the Titanic. Eight men in all boarded the ship, and two died that night. In the direct aftermath these men were accused of being stowaways and of being responsible for the deaths of women and children. Racism truly pops up in everything. After being scapgoated, these men would eventually be forgotten to history.

The Six resurrects these men, and it tells you how these men inspired Jack & Rose from the movie Titanic....because of course James Cameron knows everything about the Titanic.

This is a quick read. It's part of a story of immigration and Racism and partly a maritime detective story.

I highly recommend this book

[Renata · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok real talk I think the author had about enough good content for like a long magazine story. This book kept repeating itself in a way that made me feel like I was losing my mind.

That said the core of the story is very interesting! It's also clear that Schwankert did a ton of important research to learn more about these 6 men...but also that, understandably, a lot of the research turned up dead ends.

Also the last chunk of the book is about how he was collaborating with his friend the documentary filmmaker to make a documentary of this story and now I'm like, hm maybe I should have just watched the documentary?

Still - plenty of interesting nuggets in here. If Titanic is one of your Special Interests it's worth checking out but it might be a bit dry (ha) if you're not already invested.

[Trevor Trujillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that pried me out of a 6-week non-reading slump, by giving me a story that I absolutely devoured. A deeply fascinating read from a chapter of the Titanic story that hasn't really been discussed outside of a trivial footnote from the Cameron Titanic film.
Schwankert manages both a historical retelling and a fact-based investigation story as he weaves together the lives of six Chinese men who survived Titanic, but didn't really survive a fantastically racist media and immigration system.
In various ways the story woven in THE SIX is both deeply troubling and frustrating but also uplifting and inspiring, as the author takes us beyond the ship and the iceberg, and follows the trail of the men as far as he possibly could.
Readers who have studied Titanic before will see some rehashing of old information, but Schwankert isn't here to waste your time. He deftly builds social and economic context that deeply enriches the specific story of these men, and even managed to hit me with several "I never knew that" moments about the ship's history.
James Cameron pens the intro, an obvious "good get" for the authors. But it did make me wonder- what if 1997's "Titanic" had been more about the real people and less about the fictional people who took their place in pop culture?

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book introduces a new subject into the canon of Titanic literature; the story of six third class Chinese men who survived the sinking of the ship. But little is known about most of them and there are no personal reminisces to tell there story.

[Pat G · Rating 5 out of 5]

watched Titanic just to read this book and the book is better. fight me on it you won't

[Makayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for something that is strictly Titanic, this isn't it. It's more like 6 biographies that start at the survival of the sinking. Which actually was really interesting and I did really enjoy!
It was also interesting to hear the research they did to dispell some of the racist myths that had popped up about these men in the wake of the sinking. Namely, that they somehow had "cheated" their way onto a lifeboat.
The author can be a little repetitive at times though. I kept checking to make sure I hadn't accidentally rewound my audiobook.

[MaryannC Victorian Dreamer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

You always hear about the rich and famous who were lost on the Titanic but you rarely read accounts of the foreigners who were lost and those who survived, this book is an account of six Chinese survivors who got a second chance to live but were condemned by false accusations for surviving when many were lost. Fascinating and also angering to read of the racial injustice these men endured.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful discovery and I am excited to follow up the read with the documentary. I don't think it was the most well-written, but it was heartfelt, intriguing, smart, and healthily skeptical. For the amount of material, it very well could have been a lengthy magazine article, but there Schwankert filled the large gaps with easily digestible historical background.

I particularly appreciated how honest the author was about the lack of certainty with which this story must be approached; it was refreshing. Often nonfic authors pretend to hold themselves to this standard, but then make sweeping claims anyway based on "expertise." Schwankert doesn't do this - he sticks with "probably true, but impossible to really tell" - and for me, that gives him tons of credibility.

It was also a treat to find that his research partner is an editor of a quintessential Shanghai expat magazine that I've referenced many times over my two years living here (Shanghai). This book is really an exercise in how merging niche interests and immersing yourself in the culture you've stepped out of your comfort zone and into can illustrate knew knowledge and create wonder.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the core of this book is really interesting and tales that need to be told, it also has a vague 'white savior'-esqe vibe.

Yes, the stories of non-white, non-privileged victims need to be told across the board. Absolutely.

Yet, stuffing those stories with your own I'm-a-white-guy-fascinated-with-China pov is not quite the take that should've wound up being repeated throughout. Add to that how you say multiple times how you didn't set out to write about these Chinese men, but wanted to write about a much worse maritime disaster but didn't because you didn't think people would read about that because all the victims were Chinese...also not a good look.

Yet at the core here is another part of racist American history that people should know about.

(though I did particularly enjoy calling out James Cameron for cutting out parts of the Titanic film that featured one of these men.)

And I think his research team, some of which were Asians, deserved more credit than the couple of paragraphs they got at the end.

[Mariangela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book and the documentary!! Infinity stars ♾️

[Timothy Grubbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were eight Chinese men aboard the titanic…six survived…this is their story…

The Six: The Untold Story of Titanic's Chinese Survivors by Steven Schwankert is a substory of the larger titanic tragedy while also looking at the world leading up it.

Fair warning, the first quarter of the book (about fifty pages) is setup for the titanic tragedy, covering elements such as the Chinese exclusion act, the history of the White Star Line (including earlier sunkings of the Atlantic and Republic), and reasons for Chinese migration due to problems locally…

All eight of the Chinese passengers (no women) were experienced seamen travelling to New York on behalf of their employer (another shipping line). They all had plans…most of which sunk with the titanic…but by some miracle a majority of them made it to lifeboats (or clinging to driftwood long enough to be rescued in one survivor’s case)…

Some decent coverage is given to daily life aboard the titanic (and the differences afforded to passenger classes), including a sample menu for the day of the sinking.

Accounts of the rescue and a subsequent government investigation (complete with transcribed testimonies) casts further light into mentions of the six Chinese survivors into the public record.

Afterwards…the six would go their own ways…some returning to their jobs or heading elsewhere…

Unfortunately one of the saddest elements is the unmarried widow from Nebraska…waiting in Cleveland…that never got to meet her would’ve husband because he was one of the two that didn’t make it…

Of course you’ll have to read the book to get all the stories…

Some very useful photos of the survivors, the disaster, and artifacts tied to them are also presented…

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up The Six: The Untold Story of the Titanic's Chinese Survivors by Steven R. Schwankert on a whim from the library. I've always been interested in the Titanic, so of course this caught my eye especially considering I knew next to nothing about these survivors. Schwankert's book is incredibly readable and well researched. I especially appreciated that we got some great photos of them throughout their lives with their families. By the way, the book's forward was written by the James Cameron. If you're at all interested in the Titanic, you might want to give this a try.

[Chad Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steven R. Schwankert’s “The Six: The Untold Story of the Titanic's Chinese Survivors” is an enthralling exploration into a nearly forgotten chapter of Titanic history, blending vivid detective work with poignant social commentary. Schwankert, driven by curiosity and a mastery of investigative craft, unravels the fate of the eight Chinese passengers aboard Titanic—focusing on the six who, against impossible odds, survived the sinking only to be met with neglect, suspicion, and overt racism upon their arrival in New York. What makes this book so compelling is Schwankert’s ability to stitch together historical fragments into a rich tapestry of both individual and collective experience. He traces the men’s origins from Guangdong Province—professional sailors drawn to the promise of better lives—through peril at sea, heartbreak, and survival on that tragic April night in 1912. Schwankert’s dogged research takes him across continents, delving into ship logs, passenger statements, and local newspapers, in pursuit of descendants and forgotten legacies. The result is a narrative that feels both intimate and epic, as the author reconstructs not just the night of disaster, but the consequences of prejudice and exclusion that shadowed the survivors’ lives afterward. “The Six” deftly interrogates themes of immigration, diaspora, and the erasure—or distortion—of minority stories by mainstream history. Schwankert’s approach is compassionate yet unsparing. He restores dignity to the men long disparaged as “stowaways,” capturing the complexity of their post-Titanic fortunes in a world unfriendly to outsiders. The prose is crisp and absorbing, animated by suspenseful discoveries and tender character portraits. Ultimately, Schwankert’s book illuminates the unseen costs of disaster and discrimination—while celebrating the resilience of those who endured. It stands as both a fascinating maritime mystery and a deeply human investigation into memory, identity, and justice. “The Six” shines fresh light on the Titanic and its legacy, making history bracingly new and powerfully relevant.

[Danielle T · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've long wanted to watch The Six documentary since I heard of it years ago- still haven't gotten around to figure out what streaming service to find it on, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a companion book at my local library.

Alas, I wonder if the execution is a little more polished on the documentary side of things- there were a couple autocorrect typos of an incorrect word choice here and there, and some of the early chapters felt very, "this is a middle school essay on the state of the world in 1912 and here are the big boat companies, and also did you know about the Chinese Exclusion Act??" Maybe that's condescending of me to think, since this might be the first time some readers come across the history of Chinese exclusion and immigration law in the United States... there's also a section on why so many early immigration waves of Chinese overseas are from the Sze Yap area, like my own ancestors from Toisan. I think some of my faults with the execution may be due to how he and his partner (who worked on the doc) did research- they independently researched and looked at sources, but sometimes Steven could only view it first on camera to capture the reaction of discovery and it makes me wonder if they were a little more prepared on that end.

Steven makes a fair point: there's quite a bit of documentation of the Titanic disaster for other passengers including fellow third-class families but there's a significant dearth of information about the eight Chinese passengers, six of whom survived. And unfortunately, due to systemic racism (assumptions about their character, lack of interest in following up with those men and their stories while they were still alive, naming conventions) their stories are hard to track down after the fact. When he mentions in the second half potential family members being reluctant to share their stories, I could relate because I worry about how much knowledge is lost as tight-lipped elders die.

[Donna Siebold · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the Titanic set sail for New York there were actually 8 Chinese men aboard. When the survivors arrived in New York, six of them were left. The men were sailors and likely were familiar with each other. A few of them were actually planning to leave a sailor's life behind and start a new life as a merchant in America.

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was in place when the Titanic sank so planning to start a new life in America as a Chinese man would have been an impressive accomplishment.

Losing everything cost them these future plans. In addition, for over a century it was believed that these men survived by hiding aboard a lifeboat. During their lives they were held responsible for taking a seat from a woman or child who might have survived the night, if not for these scoundrels.

But, as Mr. Schwankert demonstrates, this belief is erroneous. Though some survivors did not report seeing the Chinese men aboard their lifeboats this was likely more because of the crowded conditions and the dark night than because the men were trying to hide. In fact, Mr. Schwankert with the help of a Chinese school made a life-sized replica of one of the lifeboats proving there was no way to hide in it.

Though the men's reputations suffered during the time after the sinking they also fell into obscurity as more years passed. The online presence of the Titanic has grown over the century plus since the sinking. it was on one of these forums that Mr. Schwankert found a descendant of one of the Chinese survivors.

The book though edifying is also confusing. At times I felt I was reading a Russian novel as the men are identified by multiple names. Occasionally this is/was because their names were translated improperly and occasionally they appeared to use different names.

[Adam‘’s book reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: The Six: The Untold Story of the Titanic’s Chinese Survivors by Steven R. Schwankert

The Six explores the experiences of the Chinese passengers who survived the sinking of the Titanic and places their stories within the broader historical setting of the early twentieth century. Schwankert structures the book in short, focused sections that move through topics such as immigration policy, cultural attitudes toward Asians, the backgrounds of the passengers, and the long-term effects of the disaster on their lives. The narrative also connects these historical elements with the public memory shaped by later portrayals of the tragedy, including the 1997 film. The result is a concise book that covers more ground than its length suggests.

I found this book engaging because it presents a viewpoint on the Titanic I hadn’t seen before. The pacing worked well for me, since the short sections made the information easy to absorb without feeling rushed. What stayed with me most was how the survivors were treated afterward, and how easily their stories disappeared from the larger history. Reading this gave me a perspective I honestly hadn’t considered. It pushed me to look at a familiar tragedy in a new way, and it made me think about how many other stories get overlooked. For anyone who reads a lot about the Titanic, I would recommend this because it opens a door you might not even know was there.

[vivivivivivi •on hiatus• · Rating 4 out of 5]

TIL in the film Titanic, Rose was rescued from the water as she clung on to a piece of wood in the film. Turns out James Cameron was inspired by the real life story of a Chinese passenger, whom was the last person rescued from the waters irl!!!

This is an undeniably niche book focusing not just on the Chinese survivors of the Titanic but also of them surviving racism, indentured servitude, exclusionary policies that were set in place solely to exploit their labour.

It starts by providing historical context of the world at the time >> socio-geographical-historical background on the city of Taishan where the survivors are from >> shipping industry and key players at the time >> Chinese Exclusion Act (enacted in America) and other discriminatory policies in Canada + some other countries, where these countries benefited from having low to no cost Chinese laborers but whom are barred from all immigration rights >> then ultimately focuses on the survivors and their lives in North America post Titanic based on the records that could be found. There were quite a few dead ends, but honestly such a great effort in this extremely deep dive! There is also a documentary called The Six about this, and I’m so keen to watch it too!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars – An Eye-Opening Historical Account with a Few Rough Patches


The Six by Steven Schwankert sheds light on a little-known chapter of Titanic history—the six Chinese survivors who were almost erased from the public record. The subject matter is incredibly compelling, and Schwankert’s dedication to uncovering the truth and giving these men their long-overdue recognition is both admirable and moving.


The book is well-researched and clearly the result of deep investigative work. It combines historical facts with a sense of mystery as Schwankert pieces together what happened to each man after the sinking. It’s a powerful reminder of how prejudice shaped public perception and policy, especially regarding immigration and race.


That said, the writing can feel uneven at times. The narrative jumps between timelines and threads in a way that occasionally disrupts the flow, and some parts feel a bit repetitive. There were moments I wanted more depth on the survivors themselves and less on some tangential details.


Still, The Six is a valuable and thought-provoking read that highlights an important story that deserves to be remembered. It may not be a perfect book, but the history it uncovers is well worth the read.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curiosity got me reading this well researched mystery solving of the six Titanic Chinese survivors. They sure were under the radar as passenger being transferred to a commercial passenger ship to pick up and continue working on Chinese ships. Rooming together, they were lost in the shuffle as the ship went down. Four apparently got rescued. Strange stories went along with that happening as quite a few survivors reported that they had worn dresses and gotten into the rescue boats- but sounds like that was gathered from looking at the chinese clothes they had on.

The 1st half the book is interesting facts and conjectures about what happened to them. The 2nd part describes the aftermath of legal inquiries as to what happened. I skipped these- although I knew it was scholarly research, it did not beckon me to read it.

[Marika · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's amazing and mind blowing to read about a never-before-told story involving the sinking of the Titanic. For instance who knew that there were eight Chinese nationals working aboard the ship, and that six of the eight managed to survive? Why did 75% of them survive when so many others perished? How did they survive and what were the reasons behind it? Was there a conspiracy behind their survival or was it pure luck?
And why the same Chinese survivors were expelled from the U.S., a mere 24 hours after reaching New York. Historian and author Steven Schwankert did a lot of research on this book, and readers will appreciate the depth to which he fleshed out both the history of the Chinese workers, and the history behind them.

* I read an advance copy and was not compensated.

[Gary Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read about such a well known tragedy but adding a new dimension I never knew about! Steven’s book set out to uncover the truth about the 8 Chinese passengers (six of whom survived) on the Titanic and also dispel the false accounts of what happened during the sinking of the Titanic to these six survivors. The author does an excellent job of setting the scene, background to all eight men, their individual stories before during and after the Titanic. It also covers at a very high level the persecution the Chinese suffered in America, even though they were such good workers and were involved in so many critical events in the late 19th & early 20th centuries. A must read for anyone interested in the the Titanic who wants to learn more!

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose 4 stars because the book is well written and tells a part of history that was pretty much unknown. I am sure other ethnic survivors existed as well whose stories deserve to be told. The only issue I had, and it wasn't really an issue, was that a large portion of the book (at least one third) was spent on Chinese history at the time, which is relevant in that it tells you how these men ended up on the Titanic when they did. It isn't that the information was included but do feel it would have been better to have a couple of chapters with that information and then the stories of the men rather than trying to insert that information in bits and pieces while trying to tell the personal stories of the men. Not really a criticism but a preference.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must for Titanic aficionados and people interested in Chinese history. It does an amazing job tracing the history of the 6 Chinese third class passengers who survived the Titanic. The author first worked on an excellent document of the same name and subject. I thought the documentary did a better job of explaining some of the more confusing issues in this case such as evolution of Chinese first and surnames, and Chinese immigration and the paths the US and Canada put up for citizenship.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Among those who paid an outrageous amount to sail Third Class on the Titanic's maiden voyage were eight Chinese men with hopes of a better life. Six of them survived. This incredibly well researched odessey covers a lot about the ship and the voyage including the sinking, but it's the facts researched about these men before, during, and after that are so astounding. Excellent!
#TheSix by @sschwankert and very well narrated by @Qariemarshall @pegasus_books #history
@Dreamscape_media #shipsinking #Chinesepassengers #biographies #nonfiction #realpeople

[Snidely · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was quite disappointed with this book. The author was wholly unconvincing that the "research findings" were those of the individuals they were trying to trace. The problem being non-matching and potentially inconsistent name usage. Big leaps of faith with assumptions were needed to tie the pieces together and the ultimate result was neither convincing nor compelling. Kind of like - "here's some information we found. let's see if we can make it fit". Nope.
I do not recommend wasting your time reading this.

[Meagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were interesting moments and the author's humor shone through, but it felt like a whole lot of book to basically say "they were here, they survived, that's all we know." It was interesting (and disturbing) to hear how much racism and classism went into the entire process of the Titanic (building, launching, sailing, sinking, rescue, and recounting). Would have been an interesting conversation to have but as a book was tedious

[Brooke Shackelford · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s amazing that this many years after Titanic sunk, there are still stories out there that haven’t been told. I enjoyed this one, but by the end I felt like there was so little info on the six Chinese survivors that the author had to do a lot of supposing and saying that “maybe this” or “maybe that” happened and I lost interest a bit by the last third of the book.

[Jon Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as a Kindle ebook checked out from the library. I found this book to be only marginally interesting for some reason. It seems well researched and the writing style is engaging, so I can't fault the author. Perhaps the problems is me, and the fact that I have read too many books about the Titanic disaster and shipwrecks in general. Three out of five stars.

[Christa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I would like to watch the documentary. I am a little Titanic "obsessed" which isn't the right word but drawn to knowing more. And this was even before James Cameron's Titanic movie when I was in high school. So a new Titanic book on a different aspect of history was cool. I always appreciate the hidden historical gems & this is one.

[Katie F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 3.5 ⭐️

If you like Titanic history it’s worth the read to learn about a lesser known group of passengers, but it has to be an interesting to want to get through all the history about Chinese immigrants and all the society and culture the author included. The actual stories of the Chinese men (both before, during and after titanic) was probably only 60-70% of the book