Anni Baobei


Li Jie, commonly known by her pen names Anni Baobei or Annie Baby and later Qing Shan, is a Chinese writer. One of China’s earliest online writers, she gained popularity with works that explore loneliness, urban life, and female sexuality, often termed as petite bourgeoisie literature. Her later works shifted focus to themes of spirituality and introspection.

Writing career

In her early twenties, Li worked at a bank in Ningbo, but her distaste for the job led her to begin her career as an online writer in 1998. In 2000, she began writing for the website Rongshuxia, which was one of China's first literary forums. In that same year, she published Goodbye, Vivian, a collection of short stories; this was her first print publication, and would sell half a million copies.
Li has also worked as an editor of the literary journal Open and as a translator of children's books. Her work appears in Chinese magazines Harvest, Writers and Elle.

Personal life

Li gave birth to a daughter on October 1, 2007. She lives in the suburbs of Beijing.

Works

  • Goodbye, Vivian , short story
  • Qiyue and Ansheng , short story
  • Endless August , short story
  • The Flower Across the Bank
  • Spring Banquet, novel
  • The Road of Others, short story
  • Two or Three Things , novel
  • Lotus , novel: The main characters, Shansheng and Qingzhao, travel on foot to a village in Tibet, where one of Shansheng's boyhood friends works as a teacher. Information about Shansheng and Qingzhao is revealed in flashbacks: they are successful in their professional lives, but feel disillusioned with life in the city. Ultimately, the two attempt to make a life for themselves outside of the confines of contemporary Chinese society.
  • Padma , novel
  • The Beauty of Old Books
Note that many of Li's works do not yet have standardized English translations.

Media adaptations