Bi Shumin
Bi Shumin is one of the most unusual and powerful female writers in China's current literary scene. She is a distinctive writer. She has many roles besides a writer, doctor, soldier, psychologist and mother. Her works are related with these different roles, which give her a distinctive perspective. The style of her writing is gentle and exquisite.
Youth
Bi Shumin born in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in 1952, Bi joined the army at the age of 17 and spent 11 years training as a combat medic.When she arrived in Beijing and had the chance to choose her own studies, Bi decided to pursue a career in medicine while studying for a master’s degree in Chinese at Beijing Normal University.She is much like writers Lu Xun and Guo Moruo, who also gave up medical science for the pen. She starts formal writing after twenty years’experience of a doctor. She has published two million words from 1987.
Cronological Table
- In the year of 1952.A baby girl was born in Xinjiang, whose name was Bi Shumin（毕淑敏）.
- 17
She joined the army in Ali plateau in Tibet(西藏阿里高原).She managed to adapt to the rough environment and learned medicine in a local military medical university. Finally she became an outstanding army-surgeon.As a doctor,she saved plenty of young lives,but also witnessed lots of death, leaving Bi Shumin in deep thought about the significance of life.
- 28
Eleven years later, Bi was demobilized and returned to Beijing,where she continued her career as a doctor.After dating with a handsome man Lu Shukun for five years, Bi got married with him.And their lovely son came out soon.In the meanwhile, encouraged by her father,Bi tried to write in memory of her unforgettable military experience.
- 35
In this year, Bi eventually made up her mind to give up her career and turned to professional writer and became a member of China Writers Association(中国作协)n.She finished her first novel Kun Lun Shang（《昆仑殇》），which turned out to be a great success and proved her talent in writing.
- 46
Bi’s ambition didn’t come to an end.She found it hard to abolish her passion for medicine.Therefore,She obtained her Master’s degree in psychology in BNU and became a qualified psychological consultant.She also wrote a book(《女心理师》) about her working experience.
- 56
Bi and her son got on the Peace Boat to navigate around the world.Traveling for 114 days, they visited dozens of countries and wrote a book 《蓝色天堂》 to introduce the diverse culture of different countries and record their reflection and interesting encounters.
- Now,bi is 64 years old.And her wonderful life story is still to be continued.
Literature
- Her first work is <Kunlun shang>, which describes military training in Kunlun border area. Many young soldiers are freeze to death because of the terrible climate. The inspiration of this story comes from her real experience that serves in the army on the Tibetan Plateau. Many of her works are related with the experience. The experience of soldier makes her work heroic and generous, which distinguish with the trifling style of writing in 1980s.
- Bi Shumin was a doctor and psychologist. That adds much humanistic concern to her works. She pays attention to the existence and psychology of people in the city. She is good at showing the question of life and death.
- <endless life> shows us a mother who lost her daughter and is pregnant with another child. The process of that makes us moved. <order death> analyzes death in a deep way.
- <red prescription> shows her attention to the problem of drug taking.
- Save the Breast, focuses on the psychological trauma of breast cancer patients. It is the first novel written and published in China to take psychological therapy as its theme. Save the Breast is a serious work with a somewhat deviant title. The book's title is considered to be flirting with readers and luring people to buy it by suggesting sexual overtones. However, Bi denies the charge. "It is not an all-sided view to judge a book merely by its title," explained Bi. According to Bi, the title was picked by the publisher, People's Literature Publishing House, after careful and cautious consideration. Publishing house director Liu Yushan argued that by using the title, the house was not catering to prurient interests of some readers. Save the Breast does not intend to use sex as its selling point. Save the Breast deals with the stories of a group of breast cancer patients.
- Besides soldier and doctor, she is also a mother. The style of her writing also has mother’s gentle and wise. She has the perspective of women and writes the life of women. She has many essays about women. Such as <remind happiness>, .
- Bi Shumin's uncommon life experiences have given her works distinctive characteristics and endowed her with perspectives both as a writer and as a doctor. She also possesses unique insights that can grasp both mental and physical essence, courage, broad mindedness and merciful sentiments that are difficult for many writers, and a mission and responsibility that regards it as her own duty to heal the wounded and rescue the dead while curing sickness to save patients.Bi shumin mix soldiers’ hardihood, doctors’ kindness and women’s keenness together. These make her works have both criticize of realism and humanistic concern of romanticism. These are uniqueness of Bi Shumin.
social activities
- 2007/8/23 BiShumin was called "Intimate sister", talking with people on the Internet, saying what she has experienced when she was a soldier in Xinjiang.
- 2009/9/25 BiShumin joined in the program Sina reading Hall of fame as a writer, talking about her new novel "Flower Operation".
- 2010/2/6 BiShumin joined in the TV program "Lecture Room" on CCTV-10.
- 2011/4/17 The first Humanities Forum of Chinese Marine University was hold in Laoshan Campus . BiShumin shared her global travel experience with the students and encouraged them to be international talents.
- 2012/5/12 BiShumin discussed the way to happiness with students in Tsinghua University by the Tsinghua University Times Board.
- 2013/10/7 BiShumin joined in the TV program "Selina" on CCTV-1," do not leave regret for your life".
- 2014/1/24 BiShumin was on China Youth Network with her two new books called "girl , I whisper to you" and "boy, I am saying to you". She talked with people on the Internet about her new books and her points about what the youth think now.
Character Appraisal
- Angels in white in literature. I have never thought that there was a way for writers and literature that her writes was so well-behaved. She is so normal, kind and obedient. (Wang Meng)
- BiShumin's essay is plain and honest, showing her surprise to the world, perception of life and passion for life. Although there are motions that is negative ,you will find brilliant words full of wisdom everywhere when you finish the whole passage. BiShumin is like your intimate friend, talking with you in a gentle night and looking back upon the best moments in the memory. You see the true meaning of life in the light of peace.(Jing MO)