Lu Xun – 20th-century Chinese writer and essayist, author of Call to Arms and Wild Grass, regarded as the “father of modern Chinese literature.” His works exposed social ills and outdated traditions, urging the nation’s spiritual awakening. His style blended satire, realism, and moral courage.
📖 Lu Xun first studied medicine in Japan but decided literature could better “heal the nation’s soul.” 🖋 His story Diary of a Madman (1918) is considered the first work of modern Chinese fiction. 🌍 Supported the May Fourth Movement for cultural renewal. 🤔 Criticised Confucian traditions in essays, urging reform and awakening. 📚 Translated Russian literature (notably Gorky), influencing new Chinese writers. 🎓 Taught in Beijing and Shanghai, serving as a moral guide for students. ✨ Mao Zedong called him “commander of China’s cultural front.” 🏛 A Lu Xun Museum and park honour him in Shanghai. 😂 Fun fact: he joked that “the greatest virtue of a writer is not fearing to be an enemy to one’s own people.”