The authors and creators of donghua
The scholar of modern wuxiaBorn in 1985 in Chun'an county, near Hangzhou, Chen Zhenghua, known as Fenghuo Xi Zhuhou, is the author of Sword Snow Stride and Sword of Coming, two of online literature's most admired novels.
Career
He first made his name with urban novels such as Ji Pin Gong Zi (极品公子), Chen Er Gou De Yao Nie Ren Sheng (陈二狗的妖孽人生) and Lao Zi Shi Lai Ha Ma (老子是癞蛤蟆).
He changed register with Sword Snow Stride (雪中悍刀行), a wuxia and historical fantasy saga published on Zongheng and adapted into a TV series in 2021. He followed with Sword of Coming (剑来), the story of Chen Ping'an, a poor boy who follows the way of the sword.
A member of the China Writers Association, he is vice-chair of the Zhejiang Online Writers Association, chair of Hangzhou's, and sat on the 12th committee of the All-China Youth Federation.
Style and themes
Fenghuo Xi Zhuhou writes like a scholar: classical quotations, finely crafted dialogue, reflections on morality and responsibility. His heroes grow slowly, and his novels take time to paint dozens of supporting characters. Demanding, sometimes dense writing, but very rich.
Their works on Donghua Fan
The donghua adapted from Fenghuo Xi Zhuhou's novels, with their guides, characters and watch orders.
Other works
- Ji Pin Gong Zi (极品公子)
- Chen Er Gou De Yao Nie Ren Sheng (陈二狗的妖孽人生)
- Sword Snow Stride (雪中悍刀行)
- Tao Hua (桃花)
Trivia
- His pen name, "lighting the beacon fires to fool the lords", refers to the legend of King You of Zhou, who lit the alarm beacons to amuse his favourite.
- Sword Snow Stride was adapted into a series in 2021, starring Zhang Ruoyun.
- His novels are famous for lines that readers quote and share.
Donghua Fan's take
Fenghuo Xi Zhuhou is one of the few online authors whose sentences you reread. Sword of Coming takes patience, but it is one of the genre's richest works.
— Spidermas, for Donghua Fan