Mao Dun (4 July 1896–27 March 1981, given name Shen Dehong, courtesy name Yanbing), was a twentieth-century Chinese realist novelist, cultural critic, and journalist. He was born in Tongxiang, (Zhejiang Province) in 1896. and created a large number of important works during his life, which depict the colorful history of the Chinese revolution and the social changes led by the Communist Party of China. They offer a sympathetic portrayal of working-class life and praise the revolution. In 1927, he published his first actual novel, Disillusion. After that, he successively wrote and published novels such as Midnight, Spring Silkworms, and The Shop of the Lin Family, drama scripts such as Before and After Tomb-sweeping Day, and essays such as Tribute to White Poplar. Midnight, completed in 1932, gained great popularity and was considered Mao Dun’s grand masterpiece. It was published in many foreign languages such as French and English. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Mao Dun worked as the minister of culture, and was twice elected as the vice-chairman of the Fourth and Fifth National Committees of CPPCC. He also acted as chief editor of the magazine People’s Literature. All of his works were collected in Works of Mao Dun, forty volumes in total.
