Lu Xun Literary Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (1995) Winner
Dong Xi
ドンシー
Dong Xi
Pen Names:
Tian Dailin（Birth name (legal name)）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1966-01-01 （Guli (Tian'e County), Guangxi, China）
- Nationality
- China
- Languages
- Chinese (Mandarin)
- Residence History
- Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (birthplace; professional affiliation) → Beijing (one of his residences)
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, university staff/academic
- Active Years
- 1990-
- Affiliations
- China Writers Association, All-China Youth Federation, Guangxi Federation of Literature and Art (vice-chairman), Guangxi University for Nationalities (staff/post)
- Memberships
- China Writers Association, All-China Youth Federation
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hechi Normal College (now Hechi University) | Chinese Department | Chinese language and literature | — | — | China |
Hechi Normal College (now Hechi University)
Chinese Department
/ Chinese language and literature
Country:
China
Submitted work to regional literary journals while a student. Institution later renamed Hechi University.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Lu Xun Literary Prize (National Excellent Novella Award) | Life Without Language | 中編小説 | Lu Xun Literary Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 2002 | Tokyo International Film Festival — Best Artistic Contribution (film adaptation) | Sky Lovers (film, adaptation of Life Without Language) | 映画部門（適応作品） | Tokyo International Film Festival | 受賞（映画賞） |
| 2023 | Mao Dun Literature Prize | Ripples in the Lake | 長編小説 | Mao Dun Literature Prize Committee | 受賞（併記の受賞者の一人） |
Lu Xun Literary Prize (National Excellent Novella Award)
1995
Work:
Life Without Language
Category:
中編小説
Organization:
Lu Xun Literary Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Tokyo International Film Festival — Best Artistic Contribution (film adaptation)
2002
Work:
Sky Lovers (film, adaptation of Life Without Language)
Category:
映画部門（適応作品）
Organization:
Tokyo International Film Festival
Result:
受賞（映画賞）
Mao Dun Literature Prize
2023
Work:
Ripples in the Lake
Category:
長編小説
Organization:
Mao Dun Literature Prize Committee
Result:
受賞（併記の受賞者の一人）
Awards & Nominations
Mao Dun Literature Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 11 (2023) Winner
Works
Major Works
Life Without Language
1995 novella / short fictionA novella exploring the limits of language and communication, and the friction between emotions of a rural native and urban life; themes of loneliness and fragmented memory.
language and silenceisolationrural-to-urban transition
Adaptations
- [film] Sky Lovers (2002)
- [television series] (TV series adaptation of Life Without Language) (2002)
Translations
- Translated by Dylan Levi King (published in Chinese Literature Today, 2018)
A Resounding Slap in the Face
1998 novella/short novelA story centered on family relations and sisters; later adapted into a TV series and the film My Sister's Dictionary.
familymemoryfemale perspectives
Adaptations
- [television series] Slap! (2005)
- [film] My Sister's Dictionary (2005)
Record of Regret
2005 novelA novel dealing with personal and social memories and mistakes, focusing on deep interior character portrayals.
memoryatonementsocial change
Translations
- Translated by Dylan Levi King (University of Oklahoma Press, 2018)
Fate Rewritten
2015 novelA story about time and causality, depicting how individual choices affect the fate of families and history.
fatehistoryfamily
Translations
- Translated by John Balcom (Sinoist Books, 2024)
Ripples in the Lake
2021 novelAn expansive novel about community transformation and personal memory, notable for its wide cast of characters and regional depiction.
communitymemoryeffects of modernization
Translations
- Translated by James Trapp (Sinoist Books, 2026)
Bibliography
- Life Without Language (1995)
- A Resounding Slap in the Face (1998)
- Record of Regret (2005)
- Fate Rewritten (2015)
- Ripples in the Lake (2021)
Adaptations
- Life Without Language → film 'Sky Lovers' (2002; won Best Artistic Contribution at the 15th Tokyo International Film Festival)
- Life Without Language → 20-episode TV series (produced by Guangxi Mandile Film and Culture Co. Ltd.)
- A Resounding Slap in the Face → TV drama 'Slap!' and film 'My Sister's Dictionary' (2005)
Translations of Works
- Life Without Language — translated by Dylan Levi King (2018, Chinese Literature Today)
- Record of Regret — translated by Dylan Levi King (2018, University of Oklahoma Press)
- Fate Rewritten — translated by John Balcom (2024, Sinoist Books)
- Ripples in the Lake — translated by James Trapp (2026, Sinoist Books)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- urban-realist, somewhat modernist styleconcise, observational prosestrong focus on psychological interiority
- Recurring Motifs
- memory and forgettinglimits of language and silencefamily and alienationconflict between rural origins and urban life
Legacy
Dong Xi (Tian Dailin) is regarded as an urban-era writer since the 1990s; several of his works have been adapted for film and television, giving him influence in popular culture. He has received major literary awards such as the Lu Xun Literary Prize and the Mao Dun Literature Prize, and has contributed to the development of literature in Guangxi.
Academic Societies
- China Writers Association
- All-China Youth Federation
In Popular Culture
- The film adaptation 'Sky Lovers' of Life Without Language received recognition at film festivals.
Trivia
- Dong Xi is a pen name; his birth name is Tian Dailin (Tián Dàilín).
- Born in Tian'e County (Guli), Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
- Several works have been adapted into films and TV dramas (notably Life Without Language → Sky Lovers).
- Won the Mao Dun Literature Prize in 2023 for Ripples in the Lake.