“China’s King of Animal Storytelling” Shen Shixi’s Sharing of What Animals Can Teach Us about Life

Shen Shixi, formerly known as Shen Yiming, is a best-selling children’s author in China. He is best known for his animal stories, and is known as the “King of Animal Stories.” He has written over 40 titles about animal stories for children. He became a member of the Yunnan Writers Association in 1982, and the China Writers Association in 1985.  Many of Shen’s works have been included in the Chinese textbooks for primary and secondary schools. They have also won numerous awards such as the National Outstanding Children’s Literature Award announced by China Writers Association, the China Book Award, the Bing Xin Children’s Literature Award, and the Chen Bochui Children’s Literature Award and so on. Shen’s works are available in English and other languages, such as his representative work  have been translated into a number of languages including English, Vietnamese, French, Russian etc and have been published and distributed globally, winning a wide reputation at home and abroad.

An acclaimed writer of animal tales for younger readers, Shen has created a series of touching stories that have attracted a large number of young readers across generations. For more than 30 years, Shen Shixi has published dozens of animal novels. His first animal novel was The Valley of Elephants, published in the 1980 on the issue of Children’s Literature magazine. To date, his work The Last War Elephant has also been adapted into a stage play, which was debuted in the National Theatre in January 2019.

Shen Shixi had an indissoluble bond with the animals before his writing career. At his age of 16, the time when lots of young people from Chinese cities were sent to remote rural areas, Shen asked to go to Xishuangbanna, a tropical region in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. He lived in the Yunnan border for 18 years. He worked as a migrant worker at hydropower station and a mountain village teacher, accumulating experience in the field. The only reason Shen Shixi chose Yunnan is that he had heard of all the different animals there, and he could have a hunting dog. When he arrived there, he not only got a dog, but went to live in the house of a hunter, who treated him like a son, and took him hunting all over Xishuangbanna. The unique landscape in Xishuangbanna has given Shen ample room for creation, as well as material for an original taste of life in the forest.

Shen Shixi’s rich experience of nature and life and his understanding of life and feelings can always be reflected from his animal novels with unique connotation and deep meanings. The survival rules of animal society revealed in the story can reflect human life and feelings. Many of Shen’s animal stories have been included in the Chinese textbooks for primary and secondary schools. They have also won numerous awards such as the National Outstanding Children’s Literature Award announced by China Writers Association, the China Book Award, the Bing Xin Children’s Literature Award, and the Chen Bochui Children’s Literature Award and so on. The animal stories present great educational opportunities, attracting children and parents and educators, making readers think deeply.

Many of Shen’s works have been included in the Chinese textbooks for primary and secondary schools. They have also won numerous awards such as the National Outstanding Children’s Literature Award announced by China Writers Association, the China Book Award, the Bing Xin Children’s Literature Award, and the Chen Bochui Children’s Literature Award and so on.

The Seventh Hunting Dog (Short Novel)

The First Chinese Writers Association National Excellent Children’s Literary Award

Retired Military Dog Huanghu (Short Novel)

The Sixth Chen Bochui Children’s Literary Award

Wolf King Dream (Long Novel)

The Fourth Yang Huan Children’s Literary Award in Taiwan

A Hunting Eagle’s Encounter (Long Novel)

The Second Chinese Writers Association National Excellent Children’s Literary Award

Wolf King Dream (Long Novel)

First Prize of The Second National Excellent Children’s Books Award

Fate (Short Novel)

Excellent Prize of the 1992 cross-strait Taiwan & Mainland China Teenagers’ Novel & Fairy Tale Competition Award

The Mother Elephant’s Lament (Novella)

The New Work Prize of the First Bing Xin Children’s Literary Award

Handicapped Wolf Huiman (Novella)

The Medium and Long Novel Prize of the First Giant Award

Shen Shixi Animal Novels Selection (Medium and Short Novel Selection)

The Third Bing Xin Children’s Literary Award

Red Milk Goat (Medium-length Novel Selection)

The Third Chinese Writers Association National Excellent Children’s Literary Award

Wolf King Dream, The Seventh Hunting Dog (Medium and Short Novel Selection)

1994 Taiwan “Everybody Reads Good Books” Competition Excellent Children’s Book Award

 The Seventh Hunting Dog (Short Novel Selection)

1994 Taiwan China Times Best Tem Children’s Books Award

Nanny Boa (Short Novel Selection)

Recommendation Prize of the 1996 Taiwan Golden Tripod Award for Excellent Children’s Books

My Wolf Wife (Short Novel Selection)

Annual Best Children’s Book Prize of the 1997 Taiwan “Everybody Reads Good Books” Award

Female Elephant with Ivory (Medium-length Novel)

The Eleventh China Books Award

Shepherd Leopard Mother (Short Novel Selection)

Annual Best Children’s Books Prize of the 2000 Taiwan “Everybody Reads Good Books” Award

Scarred Leopard Mother (Long Novel)

The Thirteenth China Books Award

Tibetan Mastiff’s Soul Rebirth (Medium and Short Novel Selection)

The Nineteenth Chen Bochui Children’s Literary Award

Bird Slave (Long Novel)

The Sixth Chinese Writers Association National Excellent Children’s Literary Award

Tibetan Mastiff’s Soul Rebirth (Medium and Short Novel Selection)

2006 Bingxin Children’s Literary Award

Flight of the Gorals (Short Novel Selection)

100 Excellent Books Recommended by the General Administration of Press and Publication in 2007

Wolf King Dream Complete Edition, Wolf World (Medium and Short Novel Selection)

100 Excellent Books Recommended by the General Administration of Press and Publication in 2008

The animal stories written by Shen Shixi present great educational opportunities, attracting children and parents and educators, making readers think deeply. When talking about the writing experience, Shen Shixi said: “The reason why animal novels are more attractive than other types of novels is because animal theme can directly express the ugly and beautiful life of the original ecology without any cover. With the changes of the times, the culture will rise and fall, the etiquette will change, the morality discipline will be revised, and the social civilization will be constantly updated. But the core of cruel competition, tenacious survival and the pursuit of glory will never change. Therefore, animal novels might have more advantages in attracting readers.[1]”

The descriptions of their fight for survival is often graphic with nothing censored and may come as a shock to some younger readers. Shen Shixi’s rich experience of nature and life and his understanding of life and feelings can always be reflected from his animal novels with unique connotation and deep meanings. The survival rules of animal society revealed in the story can reflect human life and feelings. Just like the story of The Red Impala Moved Twice, telling people that proper stress should be a powerful driving force. The life of animals is extremely hard. Danger from their natural enemies, competition among the same kind, shortage of food, and hunting by humans have always stood as great threats to their lives. The red impala in the story is first moved only 30 meters away from leopard cage. The mental and physical stress causes their life to collapse, and even extinction. When moving to a bamboo forest behind the bird village, the pressure is reduced and there is no need to worry about food. Finally they moved to 100 meters away from the leopard. This is a good place to keep certain stress, forcing the species to drive away laziness and cooperate closely with each other to resist possible crises. Shen Shixi said: “The life without pressure is useless and low-quality. It is crucial to fight for the tough life, and appropriate pressure can stimulate vitality. “

Download our Book Review on:

The Seventh Hound 

Dream of Being a Wolf King 1

Dream of Being a Wolf King 2

Mother And Daughter Leopards review by Nancy

Bird Slave review by Nancy

Five Little Wolves review by Nancy

Dick the Guide Dog review by Nancy

Collection of excellent short reviews

Jurassic Dinosaurs review by Nancy

Tomorrow Publishing House launched Shen Shixi’s new title 《花豹母女》 Mother And Daughter Leopards at CCBF 2019.

• Shen Shixi shared the original intention of creating animal novels for wildlife rescue.

1. 《狼王梦》Dreaming of Being a Wolf King
2. 《第七条猎狗》The Seventh Hunting Dog
3. 《斑羚飞渡》Stagecoach Goral
4. 《最后一头战象》The Last War Elephant
5. 《再被狐狸骗一次》The Trader Fox
6. 《雪豹悲歌》Elegy of Snow Leopard
7. 《和乌鸦做邻居》Neighbors with Crows”
8. 《鸟奴》Slave Bird
9. 《骆驼王子》The Camel Prince
10. 《混血豺王》Half-Blood Jackal King”
11. 《五只小狼》Five Wolf Cubs
12. 《一只猎雕的遭遇》An Encounter of a Hunting Eagle
13. 《导盲犬迪克》Guide Dog DiKe
14. 《红飘带狮王》The Lion King in Red Ribbon
15. 《刀疤豺母》Scarface The Mother Jackal
16. 《侏罗纪龙鸟》Jurassic Sinosauropteryx
17. 《雄狮去流浪》The Lion Roams
18. 《虎娃金叶子（升级版）》Tiger Baby Jin Yezi
19. 《野犬女皇(升级版)》The Dingo Queen
20. 《残狼灰满》The Wolf Huiman
21. 《双面猎犬》Double Hound
22. 《牧羊神豹》Shepherd Panther
23. 《大鱼之道》Big Fish
24. 《王妃黑叶猴》Princess Langurs
25. 《象母怨》Resentment of Mother Elephant
26. 《疯羊血顶儿》Crazy Sheep Xue Dinger
27. 《黑天鹅紫水晶》Black Swan Zi Shuijing
28. 《兵猴传奇》Legend Of Snub-Nosed Monkey
29. 《白象家族》White Elephant Family
30. 《母豺火烧云》The Mother Jackal Huo Shaoyun
31. 《白天鹅红珊瑚》White Swan Hong Shanhu
32. 《黑熊舞蹈家》Dancer Black Bear
33. 《巨蜥母亲》Mother Monitor Lizards
34. 《保姆蟒》Nanny Python
35. 《古剑、军犬、野鸽》Ancient Sword, Military Dog, Pigeon
36. 《野马归野》Wild Horses Belong To The Wild
37. 《鹭鸶谷传奇》Legend of Egret Valley
38. 《象群迁移的时候》When Elephants Migrate
39. 《军鸽白雪公主》The Pigeon
40. 《金蟒蛇》Gold Python\
41. 《沈石溪：我的小时候》Shen Shixi: When I Was A Child
42. 《小鹰逆风飞行》The Eaglet Flew Against The Wind”
43. 《吃狼奶的羊》The Goat Fed By the Wolf Milk
44. 《兔王圆点点》King Rabbit Yuan Diandian
45. 《花豹母女》Mother And Daughter Leopards

1. Description of Jackal and Wolf .
2. Top 10 richest Chinese writers in 2015, 2016.
3. Shen Shixi’s title description on Egmont.
4. Stage adaptation of Shen Shixi’s title Last War Elephant.
5. Shen Shixi profile on Baidu Baike.
6. Shen Shixi’s profile on 5156edu.com.
7. Shen Shixi’s Wikipedia page.
8. Shen Shixi’s background stories of his animal story writing, published by Wechat public account Zhejiang Juvenile & Children Publishing House.
9. Tomorrow Publishing House launched Shen Shixi’s new title 《花豹母女》 Mother And Daughter Leopards at CCBF 2019.
10. Shen Shixi shared the original intention of creating animal novels for wildlife rescue.
11. Introduction of 《花豹母女》Mother And Daughter Leopards by Tomorrow Publishing House.
12. Introduction of Shen Shixi by Zhejiang Juvenile & Children Publishing House.
13. Introduction of Shen Shixi’s animal series by Zhejiang Juvenile & Children Publishing House.