author
Guxiang Tenggu
1880–1919
A late Qing and early Republican-era Chinese novelist and poet, he became best known for Hong Tian Lei, a work published in 1903 under the pen name Fujitani Guxiang. His life bridged classical poetry, popular fiction, and overseas study in Japan during a time of rapid change.
1 Audiobook
轟天雷
by Guxiang Tenggu
About the author
Born in Changshu, Jiangsu, in 1880, Sun Jingxian wrote under several names, including Ximeng, A Yuan, and Fujitani Guxiang. He is remembered as a novelist and poet from the final years of the Qing dynasty and the early Republic, with major works including Hong Tian Lei, Longyin Cao, and Meibian Yuefu.
He began writing poetry at a young age, and in 1903 published Hong Tian Lei under the pen name Fujitani Guxiang, presenting it as if it were connected to Japan. Later accounts say this naming helped the book circulate more safely in a politically sensitive period. In 1909, he traveled to Japan with the scholar Zhang Hong and studied law at Meiji University.
Although not widely known in English-language literary histories, his career reflects a lively moment in modern Chinese literature, when traditional literary training, new fiction, and international influences were mixing together. He died in 1919.