He was born in 1964 in Xinghua, in the province of Jiangsu, China. He is the recipient of several literary awards, including the Xu Lun Prize which he has won twice. He co-wrote the film Shanghai Triad, which was directed by acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou and nominated for a Golden Globe. His novel The Moon Opera was longlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in 2008, and Three Sisters has won the 2010 Man Asian Literary Prize.