Feng Tang

Feng Tang (born May 13, 1971) whose real name is Zhang Haipeng, is a Chinese contemporary novelist, poet, and private equity investor.

Feng Tang was born on May 13, 1971, in Beijing.

He lived in Chuiyangliu, where was referred frequently in his works, for his childhood and teenage.

The young Feng Tang studied in Beijing No.80 High School from 1984 until 1990.

After finishing high school, he attended Peking Union Medical College and earned a doctoral degree in clinical medicine with a specialisation in gynaecological oncology in 1998.

Two years later, he graduated from Emory University Goizueta Business school's MBA program with scholarship and  joined McKinsey & Company.

In 2001, when Feng Tang was 30 years old and freshly graduated from his MBA program, his first book "Everything Grows 萬物生長" was published in China.

During the next years, he continuously worked and published some novels, short stories, poetries, and essays, included his first trilogy "The Beijing Trilogy 北京三部曲", which is one of his most famous works.

The first book of the trilogy (chronologically the second book in the series but published first) "Everything Grows" was published in 2001.

In 2005, he earned the third People's Literature Award, established by People's Literature Magazine, the most iconic literature magazine in China.

The next book, "Give Me a Girl at Age Eighteen 十八歲給我一個姑娘" was published in 2005 and was later adapted into a 21-episode drama by Youku, China's largest video steaming provider.

In 2007, the book was translated and published in French.

The last book of the trilogy " Beijing, Beijing 北京, 北京" was published in 2007, and translated in English in 2015.

It was translated and published in French and Italian in 2009 and 2020 respectively.

In 2011, his novel "Oneness 不二" was published in Hong Kong and gained a wider recognition for his literary talents.

The book broke the sales record in Hong Kong at the time, and the media humorously proclaimed that "from now on, Hong Kong's publishing industry relies on Feng Tang".

In 2012, Feng Tang was listed at the top of the "Top 20 under 40 future literature masters in China", a onetime list issued by People's Literature magazine.

While working as a full-time business professional, Feng Tang continued to write in his spare time.

In 2014, his another novel "No Woman, No Cry 女神一號/素女經(HK version)" was published in Hong Kong and Mainland China again.

In July 2014, Feng Tang felt he needed to learn how to slow down and to live in quietness, he resigned from China Resources Healthcare Group Limited and got a short residence in California, while he was approached by Zhejiang Literature and Arts Publishing House to re-translate Tagore's Stray Birds in Chinese.

He rented a house near the Napa Valley, shabby, but with a large yard, and spent three months on translating Stray Birds.

The book received a huge controversy and criticism when published in 2015 and finally has been taken down from the shelves a few months later.

Nonetheless, Feng Tang believed his translation better reflects contemporary Chinese language, history and literature will make their judgments.

In early of 2015, Feng Tang backed to Hong Kong and joined CITIC Capital Partners Management Limited as a senior management director.In addition to being a professional, he keeps on writing as a serious hobby.

The book was later adapted into a film in 2015, starring some of China's top actors such as Fan Bingbing and Han Geng.

In 2017, the Guomai Publishing House and Motie Publishing House hold autograph seminars for Feng Tang throughout China and attracted crowds of fans.

He began to attend online programmes and collaborated with others to conduct calligraphy exhibitions.

In 2017 the book was adapted into a 40-episode drama series Shall I Compare You to a Spring Day and aired in July.

The drama won the "29th China TV Golden Eagle Award" in Outstanding Television Series category in 2018.

In 2019, Feng Tang was named by the GQ magazine as one of the most influential authors in the past ten years, and he was rated as the author with the best-selling record of all time by Dangdang, the most famous online book selling website in China.

In 2020, Feng Tang has been nominated and selected as the recipient of Emory University's Sheth Distinguished International Alumni Award.

In January 2021, Feng Tang left Citic Capital and found Oneness Consulting Company.

He continued by writing on literature and general management, and giving online audio lectures.

Feng Tang is best known for his novels "Beijing Trilogy" and "Oneness".

In his novels, Feng Tang has a persisting interest in the dynamics of libido and the anima image, employing them as guiding tools in his exploration of the human experience.

These themes, although explored by earlier Chinese writers, have been to a certain degree unheeded in the modern era.

These recurrent themes have conditioned his unique style of writing, which ranges from exaggerated, rebellious, and even at times obscene, elegant and poetic.

Despite the contrast, he maintains a tasteful balance and commands a singular artistic vision throughout his books.

His distinctive style is so recognizable and often imitated that it has been dubbed by the public: the "Feng Tang Ti".

His "Beijing Trilogy" is a series of autobiographical novels dealing with his childhood, teenage years, early adulthood and beyond.