About The Author
After growing up in a poor family in the province of Shenshi (also spelled Shaanxi) TuPeng-cheng (born 1921) worked as a correspondent for the New China News during China's civil war in the late 1940's. His many notes about battles he witnessed, became important sources for his later fiction, including his acclaimed war novel, Defend Yenan, published in 1954.
Winning praise throughout China for his depiction of military life, Tu enjoyed a flourishing career throughout the 1950s. In 1958 he published his next major novel In Peacetime, which describes workers constructing the Paoki to Chengtu (Baoji to Chengdu) Railway. Tu fell from favour in the 1960s when the government rewrote its history and condemned several former leaders whom Tu had praised in his fiction. His work was banned in China until 1978 when a thaw in the nation's totalitarian regime allowed Tu to resume his writing career.
Question 1: What was Tu Peng-cheng's background before becoming a writer?
Answer: Tu Peng-cheng grew up in a poor family in the province of Shenshi (Shaanxi).
Question 2: How did Tu Peng-cheng contribute to journalism during China's civil war in the late 1940s?
Answer: Tu Peng-cheng worked as a correspondent for the New China News, where he documented battles he witnessed, providing important sources for his later fiction.
Question 3: What was one of Tu Peng-cheng's acclaimed novels, and when was it published?
Answer: One of Tu Peng-cheng's acclaimed novels was "Defend Yenan," which was published in 1954.
Question 4: What was the subject of Tu Peng-cheng's novel "In Peacetime," and when was it published?
Answer: "In Peacetime" described workers constructing the Paoki to Chengtu (Baoji to Chengdu) Railway and was published in 1958.
Question 5: Why did Tu Peng-cheng fall from favor in the 1960s?
Answer: Tu Peng-cheng fell from favor in the 1960s when the government revised its history and condemned several former leaders whom Tu had praised in his fiction.
Question 6: When was Tu Peng-cheng's work allowed to be published again in China?
Answer: Tu Peng-cheng's work was banned in China until 1978, when a thaw in the nation's totalitarian regime permitted him to resume his writing career.