Dong Xi (

simplified Chinese Simplification, Simplify, or Simplified may refer to: Mathematics Simplification is the process of replacing a mathematical expression by an equivalent one that is simpler (usually shorter), according to a well-founded ordering. Examples include: ...

: 东西;

traditional Chinese A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

: 東西;

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

: ''Dōng Xī''; born 1966) is the pen name of Tian Dailin (

: 田代琳;

: ''Tián Dàilín''). He was born in

Tian'e County Tian'e (; ) is a county of northwestern Guangxi, China, located on the upper reaches of the Hongshui River and bordering Guizhou province to the northwest. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Hechi Hechi ( zh, c=河� ...

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

. Dong Xi is a writer of novels, short stories, and screenplays. Six of his works have been adapted for movie and television. He is a member of

China Writers Association The China 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 Literature Workers Association. ...

and the All China Youth Federation and vice-chairman of Guangxi Federation of Literature and Art. He splits his time between a post at the

Guangxi University for Nationalities Guangxi Minzu University (, Zhuang Language, Zhuang: Gvangjsih Minzcuz Dayoz, abbreviated GXUN or Guangxi Minda) is a provincial research university in Nanning, Guangxi. Established in 1952 to serve the Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority ...

and

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

Early life and first publications

Dong Xi was born in Guli in northwest

. His family suffered during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

due to their formerly privileged status. Following the beginning of

Reform and Opening Reform and opening-up ( zh, s=改革开放, p=Gǎigé kāifàng), also known as the Chinese economic reform or Chinese economic miracle, refers to a variety of economic reforms termed socialism with Chinese characteristics and socialist market ...

, Dong Xi was able to join the Chinese department of Hechi Normal College (now known as Hechi University), a small college in northwestern Guangxi on the southern end of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. It was at school that Dong Xi began submitting work to literary journals and magazines, including '' Tibet Literature'', '' West China Literature'', and '' Guangxi Literature''. In the fall of 1992, Dong Xi broke into major literary magazines, publishing short fiction and two novellas in ''Harvest'', ''Flower City'' and '' Chinese Writer''.

Success as a writer and adapting work for the screen

Dong Xi's short fiction and novellas are often grouped together with other work from writers that emerged in urban China in the 1980s. He eventually moved to Beijing and began working with screenwriters, as well as adapting his own work for TV and film. His most notable adaptation for film is the 2002 film, ''Sky Lovers'', based on his novel, ''Life Without Language'' (the same novella was adapted for a 20-episode TV series by Guangxi Mandile Film and Culture Co. Ltd.). The adaptation won a Best Artistic Contribution at the 15th

Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. According to the FIAPF, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals and the second largest film festival in Asia behind the ...

. '' My Sister's Dictionary'' (2005) was adapted from Dong Xi's ''A Resounding Slap in the Face'' (1998).

Notable works

* ''Life Without Language'' (Nanjing: Jiangsu Literature and Art Publishing House, 1995). Adapted for the 2002 film, ''Sky Lovers''. Won the Lu Xun Literary Prize's National Excellent Novella Award in 1995. Translated as "Life Without Language" by Dylan Levi King in ''Chinese Literature Today'' (Volume 7, 2018). * ''A Resounding Slap in the Face'' (Changchun: Changchun Publishing House, 1998). Currently untranslated. Adapted for TV as ''Slap!'' and for film as ''My Sister's Dictionary'' (2005). * ''Record of Regret'' (Beijing: People's Literature Publishing House, 2005). Translated as ''Record of Regret'' by Dylan Levi King for University of Oklahoma Press (2018). * ''Fate Rewritten'' (Shanghai: Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House, 2015). Translated as ''Fate Rewritten'' by John Balcom for Sinoist Books (2024). * ''Ripples in the Lake'' (Beijing: People's Literature Publishing House, 2021). Won the Mao Dun Literature Prize in 2023. Translated as ''Ripples in the Lake'' by James Trapp for Sinoist Books (2026).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dong Xi 1966 births Living people Chinese male novelists Screenwriters from Guangxi 20th-century Chinese writers 21st-century Chinese novelists 20th-century Chinese male writers Mao Dun Literature Prize laureates People from Hechi