Xiao Hong

Author of «Tales of Hulan River»

Years of life 1911–1941

Prominent Chinese female writer during the time of the Republic of China. She is the author of works such as «The Field of Life and Death», «March in the Province», «Ma Bole» etc. Alongside Lü Bicheng, Shi Pingmei, and Zhang Ailing, she is known as one of the four most talented women of the Republic of China.

Xiao Hong's works are imbued with themes of values and the value of human existence. To a large extent, her texts reflect personal experience and contain many skillfully described facts about the customs and daily life of Northeast China at the beginning of the 20th century. Against this backdrop, there is a critical voice regarding traditional society, particularly the mentality of its representatives, which pushes people towards degradation rather than life and prosperity.

Xiao Hong lived a short and tragic life. As the beloved granddaughter of a wealthy landowner, she had the opportunity to receive a good education from childhood, loved literature and painting, and from the age of 16 traveled independently to Harbin and Beijing for schooling. However, she was forced to flee her home at a very young age when her family wanted to marry her off. Her personal life continued to be troubled, and she spent the rest of her life in poverty, barely making a living from her literary craft. She faced cold or even ignorant attitudes towards her work from colleagues, who still believed in the leading role of men as creators of serious literature.