Born in 1953 in Xuchang, Henan province, he is the author of twelve novels. His best-known work is The Book of Life, which portrays China’s half-century transformation through orphan Wu Zhipeng’s escape from the poverty of his native village in Henan province. It is also the finale of his Plains Trilogy, after the 1999 Gate of the Sheep and the 2003 Light of the City. His works have successively won national awards, including the 9th Mao Dun award for The Book of Life.