Born in 1960 in Washington, D.C., Tangen has mixed heritage from the U.S. and the Republic of Korea. After finishing law school in the midwest of the United States, he first became a partner in a small law firm, then created a financial information company, started a hospitality business, developed real estate, and worked as an investment banker in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He also served in various city, state and national organizations, including as chairman of the State of Wisconsin's International Trade Council, which advises the governor and the Wisconsin legislature on international trade policy and promotion.

In 2000, Tangen led a delegation of engineers and legal professionals, spending about three weeks in China. At the time, he had no idea that the country would become his home for the next two decades.

Interpreting China 

During that trip, Tangen visited Beijing and Qinghai, a then-underdeveloped province in northwest China. Regardless of the location, he noticed a common trait among the Chinese people: an eagerness to learn.

On multiple occasions, strangers approached him, whether in a crowded Beijing subway or along a remote Qinghai road, saying, "I'm so glad you're here. We want to learn." Tangen was deeply touched by their desire for knowledge. After returning to Milwaukee, he remarked to a group of friends, "If there is going to be a Renaissance during my lifetime, it will be in China." Despite many of them having extensive business in China, they thought Tangen was a bit optimistic. 

Over the following years, Tangen made several visits to China. The more he came, the stronger his desire to come to China became. In 2005, he shared his plans with friends and family. Some were shocked, saying, "What's wrong with you? You are somebody here in Milwaukee. In China you will be no one."

That same year, Tangen relocated to China. His two children remained in the U.S. to complete their education but visited him during summer holidays. Eventually, both independently decided to move to China after university.

American news commentator Einar Tangen in Beijing on March 14 (ZHANG WEI) 

A career in China 

After settling in China, Tangen became involved in a wide variety of projects, including helping his partner establish an international architecture, interiors and furnishings company. On August 10, 2008, three days after the opening of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Summer Games, he co-hosted the Olympic Truce Awards, a sideline event organized by the Truce Foundation of the U.S. and the U.S. Olympic Committee. It was during this event that he met Huang Youyi, then Vice President of China International Publishing Group, now known as China International Communications Group.

Huang encouraged him to write about China, given his expertise in economic development. Over the following years, Tangen authored books on regional development, including studies on Kunshan City in Jiangsu Province and Fengtai District in Beijing. "Writing books is an opportunity to learn. It taught me how government works in China and how it differs from other governments," he told Beijing Review.

He was later invited to appear on television, and today he participates in over 10 programs per week on TV news channels in China and several other countries across the world, including the BBC, Bloomberg, Singapore-based CNA, Russia Today, Al Jazeera... "Having a broad background in law, politics, economics, finance and economic development allows me to analyze the differences between China and other countries. I tend to focus on facts and outcomes," he said. He also delivers lectures and speeches and is a member of three think tanks, including the Beijing-based Taihe Institute.

Tangen said he has been most deeply impressed by China's long-term planning mechanisms. The Chinese Government operates on five-year plans that remain consistent despite administrative personnel changes. "It is a huge apparatus that adapts and evolves."

In contrast, he observed that in the U.S., policy shifts drastically with administration change. "It's an on-and-off switch. Things the previous administration was trying to do are undone. Long-term planning is almost impossible," he observed. "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." He added that "China's ways of problem solving are not perfect, but it's far more effective than anything else I've seen anywhere else."

While acknowledging China's challenges, he pointed out, "What I really admire about China is they see a problem and they say, 'This is a problem, let's solve it. What do we have to do?' And they'll keep trying until they do solve it."

By contrast, he feels that in the U.S., politicians often avoid addressing issues until after the next election cycle. But "after an election, they start thinking about the next election and very little gets done," he said.

Though some have labeled him "an old China hand who speaks out for China," Tangen resists the characterization. "I don't speak for China. No one pays me to be an advocate. My approach is based on my research, observations and the results," he said.

Xinjiang insights 

Tangen has traveled extensively in China, including two visits to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. His second visit, in September 2021, was for a documentary project with Miao Xiaojuan Studio at Xinhua News Agency. The goal was to explore public perspectives on democracy, freedom and human rights.

In Xinjiang, he was able to meet random people in the streets, and he found that people's focus and aspirations were the same as those of the middle class in America, Europe, Africa, and the rest of Asia: increasing household income, saving for their children's education, taking vacations to enjoy life, accessing quality healthcare, taking care of their elders...

When he asked working mothers, "How do you feel about your children learning standard Chinese?" all responded that learning standard Chinese would improve their children's job prospects. "I want my children to be doctors or other professionals. I want them to have more than I have had myself," one mother said.

"There's a whole new generation of Uygur kids who are growing up speaking their national language. They can go anywhere in China and they're not relegated to working as farmers, or in a restaurant or as entertainers. They can go to university; and with an education, hard work and a little luck, they can succeed like everyone else in China. That's the Xinjiang that I know," Tangen said.

Decades of change 

As of January 17, Tangen had been living in China for 20 years. "It's been an amazing journey to be here for 20 years, to watch the energy and time the government has put into its society, for example, making the urban environment more livable," he said.

According to data from the Beijing Municipal Forestry and Park Bureau, the total number of parks in Beijing reached 1,100 in 2024, 961 more than in the year Tangen arrived. Last year, Beijing added approximately 666.67 hectares of new forest and green areas, bringing the city's forest coverage rate to 44.95 percent and the annual carbon sink of forest and green land to 9.6 million tons.

Using his own neighborhood as an example, he recalled that parks were once rudimentary spaces with basic seating and exercise equipment. Now, there are beautifully landscaped areas throughout China's cities, including along rivers like the Liangma River in Beijing. They are vibrant community spaces where people walk, have picnics, dance, play music instruments, exercise and even swim.

For Tangen, the last 20 years have been the Renaissance he anticipated and he looks forward to seeing more in the future. BR 

(Print Edition Title: Observing China)      

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

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