Lu Xun

Lu Xun
Lu in 1930
Born	Zhou Zhangshou (1881-09-25)25 September 1881 Shaoxing, Zhejiang
Died	19 October 1936(1936-10-19) (aged 55) Shanghai, Republic of China
Resting place	Tomb of Lu Xun, Shanghai
Occupation	Writer literary critic lecturer civil servant
Alma mater	Jiangnan Naval Academy School of Mines and Railways Sendai Medical Academy at Tohoku University
Genres	Short story sketch novella poetry prose poetry essay literary criticism history autobiography
Subjects	Critique of traditional Confucian values and thought
Literary movement	New Culture Movement May Fourth Movement Social realism
Years active	1902–1936
Employers	Ministry of Education Peking University Beijing Normal University Beijing Women's College Xiamen University Sun Yat-sen University
Notable works	"Diary of a Madman" (1918) "Kong Yiji" (1919) The True Story of Ah Q (1921)
Spouse	Zhu An
Partner	Xu Guangping (1927–1936)
Children	1
Signature
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	魯迅
Simplified Chinese	鲁迅
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lǔ Xùn Wade–Giles Lu3 Hsün4 IPA [lù ɕŷn] Wu Romanization Lu Sin Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Lóuh Seun Jyutping Lou5 Seon3 IPA [lɔw˩˧ sɵn˧] Southern Min Hokkien POJ Ló͘ Sìn Tâi-lô Lóo Sìn
Birth name
Traditional Chinese	周樹人
Simplified Chinese	周树人
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhōu Shùrén Gwoyeu Romatzyh Jou Shuhren Wade–Giles Chou1 Shu4-jen2 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Jāu Syuh Yàhn Jyutping Zau1 Syu6 Jan4

Lu Xun (Chinese: 魯迅; pinyin: Lǔ Xùn, [lù ɕŷn]; 25 September 1881 – 19 October 1936), pen name of Zhou Shuren, born Zhou Zhangshou, was a Chinese writer. A leading figure of modern Chinese literature, he wrote in both vernacular and literary Chinese as a novelist, literary critic, essayist, poet, translator and political commentator, known for his satirical, acerbic tone and critical reflections on Chinese history and culture.

Lu was born into a declining family of landlords and scholar-officials in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. Although he initially aspired to take the imperial examinations, his family’s limited financial means compelled him to attend government-funded schools that offered a "Western-style education." After graduation, Lu pursued medical studies at Tohoku University in Japan but eventually dropped out, turning his attention to literature. Financial difficulties forced his return to China, where he taught at various secondary schools and colleges before taking a position at the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China.

Lu pioneered the New Culture Movement by publishing the first novel in vernacular Chinese, Diary of a Madman, in 1918. He gained prominence through his political writings in La Jeunesse following the May Fourth Movement in 1919. From the late 1920s onward, Lu became increasingly engaged with Marxist thought and leftist politics. In the 1930s, he served as the nominal leader of the League of Left-Wing Writers in Shanghai. After 1949, he was canonized by the People’s Republic of China.