About the Author

Ruan Haibiao was born in 1955 in the Old Town of Shanghai. His work was first published in 1982. He graduated from the Department of Journalism at Shanghai TV University in 1988. In 1991, he joined the China Writers' Association. He is a full-time writer at the Shanghai Writers' Association.

His published works include novels such as A Stutterer on Chicken, Autumn on the Steps of the Ruins of Yi Pin Xiang, The Store that Sells Boiling Water, Legacy, novelettes, short stories, essays and reportage. His solicited essay entitled Shanghai Natives in This Circle was given an award by Literature Press. His novel Death Is Easy won the Third Youth Literature Prize in Shanghai, the 1988 Shanghai Literary Rookie Award, and the 1990 Excellent Novel in Shanghai in 40 Years Award; another novel Immortal Desire won the 1984 National Book Award for Civilization and Progress. There is also An Anthology of Works of Ruan Haibiao.