Jennifer 8. Lee Facts: Bio, Age, Height, Weight, Family, and Net Worth

Best Known For:The book The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food

Breakthrough:Was born in New York City in 1976

10 Quick Facts About Jennifer 8. Lee

Full Name: Jennifer 8. Lee
Nationality: American
Profession: Journalist
Known For: The book The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food
Date of Birth: March 15, 1976
Age: 50 years old
Place of Birth: New York City, New York
Popular As: Jennifer Lee
Beats: Lifestyle / Human Interest
Media Level: National

Jennifer 8. Lee Age

Jennifer 8. Lee is 50 years old. She was born on March 15, 1976, and her zodiac sign is Pisces.

Popularity

#6135 Most Popular

#6135 Overall #947 in Famous People

Score: 97 Boosts: 0

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Jennifer 8. Lee Height

Jennifer 8. Lee stands at a height of 5 feet 2 inches. This is approximately 157 cm.

Education

Her educational background includes studies at Hunter College High School, Harvard University, and other institutions.

Hunter College High School
- Period: Graduated 1994
Harvard University
- Qualification: Bachelor of Arts
- Field of Study: Applied Mathematics and Economics
- Period: Graduated 1999
Peking University
- Field of Study: International Relations
- Period: One year after Harvard

Career & Work

Jennifer 8. Lee's career includes news and reporting roles with Emojination and The New York Times, a newspaper.

Organization: Emojination

Role: Co-founder and Emoji Advocate

Period: 2016–Present

Details: Helped establish the organization to advocate for more inclusive emoji representation, including dumpling, hijab and interracial-couple emoji.

Organization: The New York Times

Role: Metropolitan Reporter

Period: 2001–2010

Details: New York City, New York

Organization: Plympton

Role: Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer

Period: Current

Details: United States · Co-founded and leads a literary studio specializing in publishing innovation and creative collaborations with writers.

Organization: The Harvard Crimson

Role: Vice President

Period: During Harvard studies

Details: Cambridge, Massachusetts · Served in student newspaper leadership while studying applied mathematics and economics.

Notable Works

Notable media work includes The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food, The Search for General Tso, and Chasing Coral.

Film

Film: The Search for General Tso (Producer, 2014) — Documentary exploring the history and cultural significance of General Tso's chicken
Film: Chasing Coral (Associate Producer, 2017) — Documentary about coral reef bleaching and climate change
Film: Give Me Liberty (Associate Producer, 2019) — Feature film that premiered at Sundance
Film: The Emoji Story (Producer) — Documentary examining the global influence, culture and standardization of emoji
Film: The Price (Executive Producer) — Film that premiered at South by Southwest

Books

Book: The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food (Author, 2008) — New York Times-bestselling nonfiction book investigating Chinese American cuisine and its connections to American identity

Digital Series

Digital Series: Writing Atlas (Co-founder) — Digital publishing and literary discovery project developed through Plympton

Work: Emojination (Co-founder, From 2016) — Advocacy initiative promoting inclusive emoji development and public participation in Unicode

Notable Coverage

Chinese American food history and culture - The Fortune Cookie Chronicles - 2008 - Investigated the origins of fortune cookies and the cultural history of Chinese restaurants in the United States
Fortune cookies and lottery numbers - The New York Times - 2005 - Investigated an unusual lottery event involving fortune-cookie numbers
New York metropolitan journalism - The New York Times - Reported on poverty, culture, technology, politics, the environment and other metropolitan issues
The emergence of the term man date - The New York Times - Wrote a feature that popularized the expression man date

Awards & Achievements

Most Creative People in Business — Fast Company — 2018 — Recognition of creative work and innovation, including emoji advocacy.
Sundance Sloan Fellowship — Sundance Institute and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation — Recognition and support of creative filmmaking work.

Jennifer 8. Lee Family & Relationships

She has 2 siblings, Frances and Kenneth.

Siblings:
- Frances
- Kenneth

Lesser Known Facts

Studied applied mathematics and economics at Harvard rather than journalism.
Chose the number 8 as part of her professional name because of its symmetry and association with prosperity in Chinese culture.
Has worked in journalism, publishing, film production, nonprofit advocacy and technology initiatives.

Helped advocate for the creation of dumpling, hijab and interracial-couple emoji.
Explained in an oral history interview that the punctuation after the 8 represents a decimal point, not an initial.
Her research found that fortune cookies originated outside China, challenging a widespread misconception about Chinese cuisine.