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Bing Xin (Xie Wanying)

ビン・シン（シェー・ワンイン）

Bing Xin (Xie Wanying)

Aliases: Xie Wanying / Xie Bingxin / Nan Shi
Pen Names: Bing Xin（Her best-known pen name; taken from a line in a Tang poem, meaning a morally pure heart.）, Nan Shi（A pen name used during the Second Sino-Japanese War for some writings (masculine-styled).）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1900-10-05 （Fuzhou, Fujian, Qing Empire）
Died
1999-02-28 （Beijing, China） age 98
Nationality
China
Languages
Chinese (Standard Mandarin)
Religion
Christianity Baptized in 1921
Residence History
Fuzhou (birthplace) → Shanghai (moved in infancy) → Yantai (childhood) → Beijing (studies and career) → United States (Wellesley College) → Japan (lecturing at the University of Tokyo) → Kunming / Chongqing (wartime activities)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Poet, Translator, Educator, Children's author, University lecturer
Active Years
1919-1999
Affiliations
China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (served as chairperson), China Writers Association
Memberships
China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, China Writers Association
Influenced By
Rabindranath Tagore, Kahlil Gibran, Virginia Woolf and other international intellectuals (through contact)
Influenced
Generations of Chinese children's authors, 20th-century Chinese women writers

Education

North China Union Women's University
Science faculty (transferred to Literature) / Medical studies; later transferred to Department of Literature
Degree: 準学士/学士相当（編入・転科の経歴あり）
Period: 1911-1919（在籍期間の概算）
Country: China
Initially studied medicine, then transferred to literature influenced by the May Fourth Movement.
Yenching University
Faculty of Literature / Department of Literature
Degree: 学士
Period: 1919-1923
Year of Graduation: 1923
Country: China
Started writing for the university paper and published the novel 'Two Families'.
Wellesley College
Graduate studies in Literature / Department of Literature
Degree: 修士
Period: 1923-1926
Year of Graduation: 1926
Country: United States
Studied in the U.S. and earned a master's in literature; later taught at Yenching University.

Awards

Lu Xun Literary Prize
1998
Organization: Lu Xun Literary Prize committee
Result: 受賞
National Order of the Cedar
1995
Work: Contributions to translation of foreign literature and cultural exchange
Organization: President of the Republic of Lebanon
Result: 叙勲（受章）
National Excellent Short Story Award
1980
Work: "Empty Nest"
Organization: National literary award in China (organizers vary by year)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Two Families

1919 Novel

An early novel published while she was a student; one of her first longer fiction works.

FamilyYouth conflicts

A Maze of Stars (Fanxing)

1923 Poetry (fragmentary verses)

A collection of short, fragmentary poems influenced by Tagore's style.

NatureLoveLoneliness

Spring Water (Chunshui)

1923 Poetry / Prose

A collection of lyrical short poems and prose; one of her signature works along with 'A Maze of Stars.'

Beauty of natureTender loveIntrospection

To Young Readers (Ji xiao duzhe)

1926 Children's literature / Essays

A series of prose letters to young readers; formative works for modern Chinese children's literature.

EducationChildren's sensibilitiesLove and kindness

The Little Orange Lamp

1957 Children's literature / Short story

A children's short piece that has been translated into English and introduced internationally.

FriendshipInnocence
Translations
  • English translation by Gong Shifen

Empty Nest

1980 Short story

One of her notable late short stories, dealing with aging and loneliness; it won a national award.

AgingLonelinessFamily

Bibliography

  • Two Families
  • A Maze of Stars
  • Spring Water
  • To Young Readers
  • The Little Orange Lamp
  • The Collected Works of Bing Xin
  • About Women

Translations by Author

  • Translation of Kahlil Gibran's 'The Prophet'
  • Translations of Tagore's works (e.g. 'Gitanjali')

Translations of Works

  • The Little Orange Lamp (English translation)
  • Partial English translations of Spring Water and A Maze of Stars

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Lyrical prose and fragmentary short poems influenced by TagoreAccessible, morally attuned voice for young readers
Recurring Motifs
Nature and the seaMaternal loveChildhoodPurity and kindness

Health

  • Cerebral thrombosis
    1980年6月発症
    Suffered health setbacks but continued writing, publishing works such as 'Empty Nest.'
  • Heart failure
    1994年以降（入院治療）
    Health deteriorated leading to hospitalization and eventual death in February 1999.

Legacy

One of the foremost Chinese women writers of the 20th century, she made major contributions to children's literature. Her lyrical prose and poems, translations, and cultural exchanges earned international recognition. Her works have been included in textbooks and a children's literature award bears her name.

Museums

  • Bing Xin Literature Museum Changle, Fujian Province, China

Academic Societies

  • China Federation of Literary and Art Circles
  • China Writers Association

Archives

  • Collections at the Bing Xin Literature Museum (personal effects, medals, etc.)
  • Authority files and holdings in international libraries (BNF, VIAF, WorldCat, etc.)

In Popular Culture

  • Bing Xin Children's Literature Award (named in her honor)

Quotes

  • Her pen name 'Bing Xin' literally means 'Ice Heart' and symbolizes a morally pure heart, reflecting her literary stance.
    Source: Biographical summaries (based on multiple sources)

Trivia

  • Baptized in 1921 but reportedly indifferent to Christian rituals.
  • Considered among the first foreign female lecturers to teach Chinese New Literature at the University of Tokyo.
  • Was denounced during the Cultural Revolution and sent to a May Seventh Cadre School in Xianning.
  • The Bing Xin Children's Literature Award was established in her name; her daughter Wu Qing remains involved.
  • Received the National Order of the Cedar from Lebanon in the 1990s.