Wei Wei

Wei Wei (Chinese: 魏巍; pinyin: Wèi Wéi; March 6, 1920 – August 24, 2008), originally known as Hong Jie (simplified Chinese: 鸿杰; traditional Chinese: 鴻傑; pinyin: Hóng Jié), was a Chinese poet, a prose writer, a literary report writer, a journalist, a vice-editor-in-chief and the editor of various newspapers in China. His works are noted for their themes of patriotism, communism, and nationalism. Apart from using the name Wei Wei, he once used the pen name Hong Yangshu (紅陽樹) in some of his publications. He changed his name from Hong Jie to Wei Wei in 1937 when he had started a new page of his life, a political one.

Wei Wei was born into a poor family in Zhengzhou, Henan, and received a rudimentary primary education. He showed early interest in calligraphy and literature, but was unable to receive much education after elementary school, when both of his parents died. He was largely self-taught and was greatly influenced by the radical Chinese literature of the 1920s and 30s, including works by authors like Lu Xun and Mao Dun.

Wei Wei joined the Eighth Route Army at the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 and was educated to be a propagandist and journalist. After joining the Chinese Communist Party in 1938, he rose quickly through party ranks. He became known for reporting from the front lines, which continued throughout the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He also became known for composing a series of Communist-themed novels, short stories, and operas.

Wei died on August 24, 2008, in Beijing.