Min Anchee was born in Shanghai, China, on January 14, 1957. As a child, she joined the Little Red Guards, a student-led paramilitary social movement.

At age 17, her family sent her to a collective farm where she was forced to endure horrific conditions and was put to work for eighteen hours a day. The prolonged hours and cruel working conditions led to a spinal cord injury.

While working at the farm, Min was discovered by a talent scout from the Shanghai Film Studio. She won the lead role in a propaganda film inspired by Madame Mao – a Chinese communist revolutionary, actress, and political figure. The film never finished production.  

Following the downfall of Madame Mao, the community shunned Min for her association with the former actress. Dejected and depressed, Min reached the point so low that she contemplated suicide.

With the assistance and support of a friend and the sponsorship of her aunt living in Singapore, Min obtained a passport and applied to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Illinois. Upon emigrating to the United States in 1984, it was discovered that, contrary to what she had put on her visa application, she did not speak English, and immigration officials almost deported her back to China.

After moving to the U.S., Min worked multiple jobs and continued to learn English by watching episodes of Sesame Street.

Min graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a B.F.A. and M.F.A. in Fine Arts. Her first book, Red Azalea, was published in 1994.

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