Shen Congwen

Shen Congwen (1902–1988), originally named Shen Yuehuan, was a Miao writer from Fenghuang, Hunan. A modern novelist, essayist, and researcher of cultural relics, he joined the army in his early years and began publishing in 1924. He rose to fame with the novella Border Town in 1934 and is regarded as a representative of the Beijing School of writers. Much of his work is set in the Xiangxi countryside; his clear, restrained style captures folk simplicity and the joys and sorrows of fate in everyday life. Border Town and Random Notes on a Trip to Hunan have long been cherished by readers. After 1949 he turned to the history of ancient Chinese dress, authoring A Study of Ancient Chinese Dress. The library holds 41 of his works, spanning fiction, essays, folk literature, and biography.