Shi Tiesheng
Encyclopedia
Shi Tiesheng (1951- December 31, 2010) was a Chinese
novelist, known for his story which was the basis of the film Life on a String
. The China Daily stated regarding his essay about the park near where he lived, "Many critics have considered I and the Temple of Earth (:zh:我与地坛) as one of the best Chinese prose essays of the 20th century."
Shi was born in Beijing
, and graduated from Tsinghua University High School
.
In 1969 he was a zhiqing, or urban youth sent to a rural area of Shaanxi
as part of the Down to the Countryside Movement
of the Cultural Revolution
. There he was paralyzed in an accident at the age of 21, and was sent back to Beijing.
Shi was published for the first time in 1979. His 1983 short story "Wo de yaoyuan de quingping wan" ("My Faraway Clear Peace River") won the National Excellent Short Story Prize. The story is about a zhiquing and an old man of the village, and takes the view that the peasants suffer more over the long term than the urban youth sent from the city. A sequel, "A Story of Rustication" ("Chadui de gushi") was published in 1986.
In 1980 director Tian Zhuangzhuang
based a short film called Our Corner on a story by Shi; it was the first film by a filmmaker of China's Fifth Generation Cinema.
Shi's 1985 novella "Like a Banjo String" (命若琴弦) about a pair of blind musicians, was the basis of the 1991 film Life on a String directed by Chen Kaige
.
His collections of short stories include My Faraway Clear Peace River (Wo de yaoyuan de qingping wan) (1985) and Sunday (Libairi) (1988).
A collection of English-language translations of his short stories was published in 1991 as Strings of Life.
In 1996 his novel Notes on Principles (务虚笔记) was published.
In selecting it as a notable work of Chinese literature since 1949 which could qualify as an overlooked classic, Professor Shelley W. Chan of Wittenberg University
said Notes on Principles was similar to but better than Soul Mountain
by Nobel Prize
-winner Gao Xingjian
.
In 1998 his kidneys began to fail and he subsequently required dialysis
three times
weekly.
He received the Lao She
Literature Prize for Fragments Written at the Hiatuses of Sickness (病隙碎笔)(2002).
In 2006 he published My Sojourn in Ding Yi (我的丁一之旅), about an immortal spirit that inhabits the bodies of a succession of people, including Adam
, Shi Tiesheng himself, and the book's hero, Ding Yi.
On the morning of December 31, 2010, Shi died of cerebral hemorrhage.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
novelist, known for his story which was the basis of the film Life on a String
Life on a String (film)
Life on a String is a 1991 Chinese film by acclaimed film director Chen Kaige. Made before his international breakthrough Farewell, My Concubine, Life on a String is a more intimate and philosophical affair, telling the story of a blind sanxian player and his young disciple. The film was based on...
. The China Daily stated regarding his essay about the park near where he lived, "Many critics have considered I and the Temple of Earth (:zh:我与地坛) as one of the best Chinese prose essays of the 20th century."
Shi was born in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, and graduated from Tsinghua University High School
High School attached to Tsinghua University
The High School Attached to Tsinghua University , or Tsinghua High School for short , is one of the most prestigious and historically-significant high schools in China, located in Beijing.-Translation of its Name:...
.
In 1969 he was a zhiqing, or urban youth sent to a rural area of Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
as part of the Down to the Countryside Movement
Down to the Countryside Movement
The Down to the Countryside Movement was a policy instituted in the People's Republic of China in the late 1960s and early 1970s. As a result of the anti-bourgeois thinking prevalent during the Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong declared certain privileged urban youth would be sent to mountainous...
of the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
. There he was paralyzed in an accident at the age of 21, and was sent back to Beijing.
Shi was published for the first time in 1979. His 1983 short story "Wo de yaoyuan de quingping wan" ("My Faraway Clear Peace River") won the National Excellent Short Story Prize. The story is about a zhiquing and an old man of the village, and takes the view that the peasants suffer more over the long term than the urban youth sent from the city. A sequel, "A Story of Rustication" ("Chadui de gushi") was published in 1986.
In 1980 director Tian Zhuangzhuang
Tian Zhuangzhuang
Tian Zhuangzhuang is a Chinese film director and producer.Tian was born to an influential actor and actress in China. Following a short stint in the military, Tian began his artistic career first as an amateur photographer and then as an assistant cinematographer at the Beijing Agricultural Film...
based a short film called Our Corner on a story by Shi; it was the first film by a filmmaker of China's Fifth Generation Cinema.
Shi's 1985 novella "Like a Banjo String" (命若琴弦) about a pair of blind musicians, was the basis of the 1991 film Life on a String directed by Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema. His films are known for their visual flair and epic storytelling.-Early life:...
.
His collections of short stories include My Faraway Clear Peace River (Wo de yaoyuan de qingping wan) (1985) and Sunday (Libairi) (1988).
A collection of English-language translations of his short stories was published in 1991 as Strings of Life.
In 1996 his novel Notes on Principles (务虚笔记) was published.
In selecting it as a notable work of Chinese literature since 1949 which could qualify as an overlooked classic, Professor Shelley W. Chan of Wittenberg University
Wittenberg University
Wittenberg University is a private four-year liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio serving 2,000 full-time students representing 37 states and approximately 30 foreign countries...
said Notes on Principles was similar to but better than Soul Mountain
Soul mountain
Soul Mountain is a novel by the Chinese writer Gao Xingjian. It was first published in Chinese in Taipei in 1990. The novel is loosely based on the author's journey in rural China, which was inspired by a false diagnosis of lung cancer. The novel is a part autobiographical, part fictional account...
by Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
-winner Gao Xingjian
Gao Xingjian
Gao Xingjian is a Chinese-born novelist, playwright, critic, and painter. An émigré to France since 1987, Gao was granted French citizenship in 1997...
.
In 1998 his kidneys began to fail and he subsequently required dialysis
Dialysis
In medicine, dialysis is a process for removing waste and excess water from the blood, and is primarily used to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function in people with renal failure...
three times
weekly.
He received the Lao She
Lao She
Shu Qingchun , better known by his pen name Lao She was a notable Chinese writer. A novelist and dramatist, he was one of the most significant figures of 20th century Chinese literature, and is perhaps best known for his novel Rickshaw Boy and the play Teahouse . He was of Manchu ethnicity...
Literature Prize for Fragments Written at the Hiatuses of Sickness (病隙碎笔)(2002).
In 2006 he published My Sojourn in Ding Yi (我的丁一之旅), about an immortal spirit that inhabits the bodies of a succession of people, including Adam
Adam
Adam is a figure in the Book of Genesis. According to the creation myth of Abrahamic religions, he is the first human. In the Genesis creation narratives, he was created by Yahweh-Elohim , and the first woman, Eve was formed from his rib...
, Shi Tiesheng himself, and the book's hero, Ding Yi.
On the morning of December 31, 2010, Shi died of cerebral hemorrhage.
External links
- Shi Tiesheng books in WorldCat
- English translation of The Temple of Earth and I in Turnrow, the Bi-annual Journal of the University of Louisiana at Monroe
- Shi Tiesheng at Paper Republic