Lu Min was born in Dongtai, a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Yancheng City in east China's Jiangsu Province, in October 1973. She is a contemporary writer and serves as vice chairman of the Writers Association of Jiangsu Province. She began working at the age of 18 and used to hold positions such as post office clerk, reporter and civil servant. She started to write novels in 1999, and to date, has published works such as Accompany the Feast, Dinner for Six, Father on the Wall, and The Golden River. Among them, Accompany the Feast won the Fifth Lu Xun Literature Prize, Dinner for Six won the Long Novel Prize of the People's Literature Award, and The Golden River was nominated for the 11th Mao Dun Literature Prize. Several of her works have been translated into multiple languages.

Years of struggling for literary dream

China News Release: During the 15 years you worked at the post office, amidst your busy schedule, you still managed to take part in self-study examinations. What motivated you to overcome numerous obstacles and ultimately achieve your success?

Lu Min: After graduating from middle school, I did not have the opportunity to study at a high school. Instead, due to various livelihood considerations, I was enrolled in Jiangsu Post and Telecommunications School for technical secondary education. At that time, my grades were fairly good, ranking third in the high school entrance exam of Yancheng City. However, for a rural family in northern Jiangsu like mine, a position in the postal and telecommunications system was considered as a "secure job," and also could provide an urban hukou (household registration). After graduating from Jiangsu Post and Telecommunications School in 1991, I began to work at the post office at the age of 18. However, I increasingly felt that my knowledge structure and way of thinking were inadequate, and always had a sense of inferiority and a persistent aspiration for a college diploma.