Family background, childhood, and education in mainland China and Taiwan; Japanese invasion, Chinese civil war, 1946, flight to Taiwan; mechanical engineering education and naval academy; University of Louisville, ville, MA, Princeton University, PhD; marriage to Di-Hwa; reflections on immigrant experience, speaking English, discrimination; UC Berkeley, College of Engineering, 1959-1999: research in microscale thermophysical engineering, administration, consultant to industry; vice chancellor for research, 1983-1985 ; UC Irvine, executive vice chancellor, 1988-1990; Chancellor, UCB, 1990-1997: affirmative action, athletics, focus on students, response to disaster, fund raising, state budget and retirement issues, town-gown relationships, excellence through diversity in faculty, staff, and students. Supplementary material: speeches in honor of Tien from the Honoring Chang-Lin Tien symposium (2002), university publications, brochures, clippings.