Lai, now 50, sold his remaining 27% stake in Giordano in 1994 for fear that a derogatory comment he made in print about then-premier Li Peng would hurt the company in China and its proposed listing in Hong Kong (it did).

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For example, on a daily basis, a few classmates would comment in a derogatory way about my facial features.

CNN: Your e-mails: Defining the Asian-American experience