In The House of Yan, Yan Lan recounts a century of tumultous Chinese history through her own family's history who were deeply entwined with China's elite including Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, and Chiang Kai-Shek. Born in 1957, Lan Yan lived through China's Cultural Revolution and saw her family's status fall as her father was arrested as a counterrevolutionary and her mother was sent to a labour camp for seven years, where she also grew up as a high school student. Lan Yan's account offers a unique, poignant, and personal perspective within the context of these grand historical events.

After being disallowed to continue with higher education due to her family's political status, Yan Lan sought to study as hard as possible after the Cultural Revolution ended in 1977. She studied across Europe and the United States before earning a law degree and practicing for over 20 years in France. In 2011 she became Managing Director of Lazard to lead the organization's Chinese activities and, presently, Yan Lan is the CEO of Lazard Greater China (Beijing, Hong Kong, and Taiwan).