Li Zhun (; 4 July 1928 – 2 February 2000) was a Chinese novelist who was the vice president of

China Writers Association China Writers Association or Chinese Writers Association (CWA, ) is a subordinate people's organization of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC). Founded in July 1949, the organization was initially named the China National Liter ...

and the librarian of Chinese Modern Literature Museum.

Biography

Li was born into an ethnic Mongolian family of teachers in

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

in 1928. His grandfather, Li Zulian (), his uncles, Li Mingzhao () and Li Mingshan (), all were teachers. His father, Li Mingxuan (), was a businessman. His mother came from a family of doctors. In 1934, Li studied at Matun school (), by age 6. Then he attended Dade High School (), a high school in Changdai Town, Luoyang County (). In 1942, Li fled from famine to

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

. At the age of 15, Li was an apprentice in a store. Li worked as a postman in Matun Post Office () by age 17. Two years later, Li studied

Chinese opera Traditional Chinese opera (), or ''Xiqu'', is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more tha ...

in Matun Theatre Troupe (). In 1948, Li worked in Zhongzhou Bank (), then he was transferred to Luoyang to teach Chinese. Li started to publish works in 1953. Li was transferred from Luoyang to

Zhengzhou Zhengzhou (; ), also spelt Zheng Zhou and alternatively romanized as Chengchow, is the capital and largest city of Henan Province in the central part of the People's Republic of China. Located in north-central Henan, it is one of the National ...

in 1954. In 1955, Li served as a delegate to the

National People's Congress The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (NPC; ), or simply the National People's Congress, is constitutionally the supreme state authority and the national legislature of the People's Republic of China. With 2, ...

. Li joined the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...

at the age of 32, at the same time, he was appointed the director of

. In 1964, Li served as a delegate to the

and a Standing Committee member of the

All-China Youth Federation The All-China Youth Federation (ACYF; zh , s = 中华全国青年联合会 ) is a people's organization founded on 4 May 1949 that represents many youth groups in China, including the Communist Youth League of China. Former paramount leaders a ...

. In 1966,

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

launched the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

, he was labeled a "

Rightist Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, auth ...

", he suffered

political persecution Political repression is the act of a state entity controlling a citizenry by force for political reasons, particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing the citizenry's ability to take part in the political life of a society, thereby ...

and experienced mistreatment, then he was sent to

Zhoukou Zhoukou (; Postal romanization, postal: Chowkow) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province of China, province, China. It borders Zhumadian to the southwest, Xuchang and Luohe to the west, Kaifeng to the northwest, Shangqiu to the north ...

to work. Li was rehabilitated by

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary leader, military commander and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. After CC ...

in 1980. In 1981, Li moved to

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. He was appointed the librarian of Chinese Modern Literature Museum in 1990 and the vice president of

in 1996. In 2000, Li died in Beijing.

Works

Novel

* ''Yellow River Flowing to East'' ()

Screenplay

* ''Li Shuangshuang'' () * ''Wang Jieshi'' () * ''The Biography of the Old Soldier'' () * ''The Great River Flows On'' () * ''

The Herdsman ''The Herdsman'' () is a 1982 Chinese film about the life of a herdsman in western China from 1950s through the Cultural Revolution, and his reunion with his father from America. It was produced by the Shanghai Film Studio and directed by Xie Jin, ...

'' () * ''The Qingliang Temple'' () * ''The Old Man and the Dog'' ()

Awards

* ''Li Shuangshuang'' – 2nd Hundred Flowers Awards (1963) * ''Wang Jieshi'' – National Excellent Short Story Award and 5th

Golden Rooster Award for Best Writing Golden Rooster Award for Best Writing (中国电影金鸡奖最佳编剧) is the main category of Competition of Golden Rooster Awards The Golden Rooster Awards () are film awards given in mainland China. The awards were originally given annually ...

(1981) * ''Yellow River Flowing to East'' – 2nd

Mao Dun Literature Prize Mao Dun Literature Prize () is a prize for novels, established in the will of prominent Chinese writer Mao Dun (for which he personally donated 250,000 RMB) and sponsored by the China Writers Association. Awarded every four years, it is one of t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Zhun 1928 births 2000 deaths Writers from Luoyang 20th-century novelists Chinese people of Mongolian descent Mao Dun Literature Prize laureates Chinese male novelists 20th-century Chinese male writers Chinese male short story writers People's Republic of China short story writers Short story writers from Henan