"Eight years of meticulous research crystallize into a textured chronicle — a palpable history of how mortals become sages."
——Editor's Choice

★ ​​China’s renowned fantasy author​​, ​​leading figure in speculative fiction​​, and ​​pioneer of long-form wuxia fantasy​​
★ ​​Dubbed the "China's 'Kafka'"​​ – His works appear in The Big Book of Modern Fantasy (World Fantasy Award-winning anthology), alongside ​​Gabriel García Márquez​​ and ​​Haruki Murakami​​
★ ​​Praised by authors Ma Boyong & Jiang Nan​​, and recognized by Hugo/WFA/BFA-winning editors Ann & Jeff VanderMeer​​ as "a defining voice in Chinese fantasy"
★ ​​Blending wuxia and fantasy​​, bridging ​​Chinese mythology and modern storytelling​

​​Featured Works (10 volumes):​​
Spring in Dongke Monastery (Selected for The Big Book of Modern Fantasy)
Songs of the Four Seasons (Qitongren’s only self-curated fantasy anthology)
Novo Land: Dragon Assassin (A key Jiuzhou universe novel)
Aranya in Clouds (Short story, original novel behind the "Aranya in Clouds" comic by Zhang Xiaoyu, winner of the "Golden Elephant Award" at France's Chambéry International Comics Festival)
The Frog’s Ballad (Short story, original novel behind the ​​Chambéry Comics Festival "Golden Elephant Award"​​-winning adaptation)
The Dreamweaver King (Douban 9.2, multi-time "Fantasy Novel of the Year")
Annals of the Flowing Maple (A wuxia-fantasy masterpiece with Tang-Song dynasty style)
Serenity: The Highest Joy of Life (A biographical fantasy decoding Eastern spirituality)
The Leviathan and the Insect (Explores Chinese mythology and intellectual history)
Biographies of Eight Sages (An epic of mortal transcendence)

This groundbreaking work by Qitongren presents eight meticulously researched biographical portraits of China's most iconic figures: Sima Qian, Wang Xizhi, Tao Yuanming, Zhu Xi, Wang Yangming, Li Zhi, Li Shizhen, and Li Shutong. Distinct from conventional biographies, the author delves into their complete writings, contemporary accounts, and historical commentaries, unearthing overlooked life details and creative processes to formulate strikingly original interpretations.
Blending rigorous scholarship with narrative brilliance, Qitongren transforms historical inquiry into a captivating journey.

Qitongren (b. 1972), pen name inspired by Kafka’s "The Bucket Rider", is a celebrated Chinese short-story writer and fantasist, regarded as one of contemporary China’s most literary fantasy creators.
He began writing while studying Chinese literature at Guangxi Normal University and gained prominence after publishing online in 2000. Former editor of "Fly Fantasy World" and executive editor of "Novo land Fantasy", he founded the e-magazine "Nine Songs" and edited "The Anthology of Chinese Fantasy".
Renowned for his visionary imagination and philosophical depth, he is a two-time "Douban Outstanding Author" and a defining figure in Chinese fantasy. His story "Spring in Dongke Monastery" was anthologized alongside works by Gabriel García Márquez, Angela Carter, George R.R. Martin, Stephen King, and Haruki Murakami in "The Big Book of Modern Fantasy" (World Fantasy Award-winning anthology).
His stark prose has earned him the moniker "China's 'Kafka'"

1.Sima Qian
2.Wang Xizhi
3.Tao Yuanming
4.Zhu Xi
5.Wang Shouren
6.Li Zhi
7.Li Shizhen
8.Li Shutong

Appendices
Biographies of Wu Dan and Jia Yi
Monk of Min