Cao Wenxuan

Cao Wenxuan is a Chinese author and professor who won the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing in 2016, becoming the first Chinese author to win the prize. He is a professor at Peking University and is best known in the English-speaking world for the novels Bronze and Sunflower (translated by Helen Wang) and Fire Boy. Cao's fiction often explores the hardships of rural Chinese life, particularly during the Cultural Revolution, through the eyes of children. His work combines a lyrical, poetic style with profound empathy and is deeply rooted in the landscapes of eastern China. Bronze and Sunflower was widely translated after his HCA Award win. His award was seen as a major recognition of Chinese children's literature by the international community.