Su Tong, pen name of Tong Zhonggui, was born in Suzhou, East China in 1963. He rose to international acclaim after his book Wives and Concubines was made into a blockbuster film Raise the Red Lantern by director Zhang Yimou, featuring actress Gong Li. The film won a BAFTA award in 1993 for best non-english language film. He was the joint winner of the prestigious Mao Dun Literature Prize for his novel Yellow Bird in 2015. His earlier novel The Boat to Redemption was awarded the Man Asia Literature Prize in 2009. Su Tong is a prolific and unconventional writer whose work explores the darker side of human nature. Having grown up in the Cultural Revolution, Su Tong's novels and short stories depict everyday life in 20th century China with a dark twist. In addition to his many striking novels, he has also written hundreds of short stories, many of which have been translated into French and English. He currently lives in Nanjing.