Shen Shixi (Chinese: 沈石溪; pinyin: Shěn Shíxī; born October 1952), also known as Shen Yiming (沈一鸣; Shěn Yīmíng), is a best-selling children's author in China. He is best known for his animal stories, and is known as the "King of Animal Stories".[1] In 2015 he was the 9th highest earning author, earning royalties of 12 million RMB.[2][3]
Shen Shixi was born in Shanghai in October 1952. In 1968 he was sent to a village of the Dai people in Xishuangbanna. In 1975 he joined the army, and was Head of the Propaganda Department. He became a member of the Yunnan Writers Association in 1982, and the China Writers Association in 1985. In 1992 he moved to creative office of the Chengdu Military Region.
Shen is best known for his animal stories, and is known as the "King of Animal Stories". Most of the animals in his books are wild animals, who live mainly in the vast wilderness, the hot humid tropical rainforest, the freezing snow-covered mountain, or the surging Lantsang River. The unique landscape and settings in Xishuang Banna has given Shen ample room for creation, as well as material for an original taste of life in the forest. The life of animals is extremely hard. Danger from their natural enemies, competition among the same kind, shortage of food, and hunting by humans have always stood as great threats to their lives. No matter how smart, sly, and strong the animals are, they would eventually be killed by other animals or by people. There are thus numerous traps in Shen’s jungles, and there is no happy ending or final closure. Even if an animal happened to escape from one crisis, it may never escape the next.[4]
^Zhang Mingmeng (张明萌) (2022). 沈石溪：写作就像一只鸟，生活和想象力是翅膀 [Shen Shixi: Writing is like a bird, life and imagination are wings]. Southern People Weekly (in Chinese). 713. Guangzhou, Guangdong: Southern Daily Group: 22–25. ISSN1672-8335.
^Top 10 Richest Chinese Writers in 2015 [1][dead link]
