In 1935, 17-year-old I.M. Pei left his family in Shanghai, China, to study architecture in the United States. Though he had intended to return home after earning his college degree, the Japanese invasion of China and the outbreak of World War II changed his plans. Following the Communist takeover of China in 1949, Pei decided to remain in America to develop his budding architectural career, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1954. Over the next half century, Pei would establish himself as one of the leading architects in the world. This informative and fully updated biography details Pei's impressive life and career, up to his death in 2019, and the legacy he leaves behind.