Lu Xun (pseud.of Zhou Shuren,1881-1936) was born on September 25,1881 in Shaoxing,Zhejiang Province.He was taught Chinese classics by a private tutor.In 1898 he entered South China Naval Academy in Nanjing but was soon transfered to the School of Mining and Civil Engineering affiliated with South China Military Academy.In 1902 he went to Japan to study medicine at Sendai Medical College.He broke off his medical studies and tured to writing literature in 1906.He translated various Russian literary works into Chinese and was enthusiastic about Darwinism and other Western social discourses.In 1909 he returned to China and was appointed headmaster of a normal school in Shaoxing after the 1911 Revolution.In 1920 he began teaching at both Beijing University and Beijing Normal University.In 1927 he became a professor at Xiamen University and then Zhongshan University; but he quickly resigned from his posts and settled in Shanghai to live by his pen.He died of tuberculosis in Shanghai on October 19,1936.He was accorded the honor of "the national soul" at his funeral.His major works include "The Power of Mara Poetry," "A Madman;s Diary," My Views on Chastity," "The True Story of Ah Q," "Kong Yiji," "My Old Home," "A Brief History of Chinese Fiction," "New Year's Sacrifice," "Regret for the Past," "Russian Fairy Tales," "Gogal's Dead Souls," etc.