Yilin Zhong

Yilin Zhong
Yilin Zhong in 2014
Born	China
Occupation	Novelist, Screenwriter, Journalist, Radio Presenter, Poet, Literary and Drama Critic
Education	MA in Cultural Studies, BA in Drama
Alma mater	Central Academy of Drama, University of Warwick
Period	1981–present
Genre	Literary Fiction
Website
blog.sina.com.cn/1232115570

Yilin Zhong (simplified Chinese: 钟宜霖; traditional Chinese: 鍾宜霖) is a British Chinese writer born in China, an award-winning journalist, screenwriter and No.3 Amazon (China) bestselling author, known as one of the leading contemporary women writers of the Chinese Post 70s Generation. She is the author of sixteen novels, two film screenplays, ten books and many other works; she also wrote poems and literary reviews. She now lives in London.

Yilin Zhong was born in China and began to learn writing words from her grandmother at the age of two. Her father was a literary editor at China Federation of Literary and Art Union in Beijing, however was exiled to south west China as miner during the Cultural Revolution. Zhong wrote her first poem at five which was published when she was seven, and she started to write short stories at twelve, which was released in Shanghai Youth Literature. At thirteen, Zhong wrote a research thesis 'Who broke up the wood-stone engagement?' and it was released in the academic journal A Dream of Red Mansions Journal in 1993.

At fourteen, Zhong wrote her first full-length novel "Embracing the Sun", which was not published, and then she wrote her second novel "Sunshine and the Monsoon" at sixteen, which was published in 1995 and won her national reputation as the youngest talented writer; Zhong was interviewed by CCTV's Book Review. In 1992 Zhong received an Award voted by national readers, for a short story released in Shanghai Youth Literature, as the "Best Work of The Year".

At the age of sixteen, Zhong successfully passed the most highly competitive exams and interviews from three best Art Academies in China: Central Academy of Drama, Beijing Film Academy and Beijing Broadcasting and Television University; she achieved No.1 at Beijing Broadcasting and Television University, and received the highest mark 90 (of 100) in the final interview at Central Academy of Drama. Zhong decided to go to the Central Academy of Drama and study Drama Literature and Play Writing, while she also passed the exam for the Play Director department.

Yilin Zhong was educated in The Central Academy of Drama at Beijing, China, and achieved a distinction BA degree in Drama Literature and Playwriting.