He became a professional writer in the 1970s after having worked as a peasant farmer, a factory worker and a soldier, classes which have served as fodder for his stories and, not coincidentally, classes which Mao Zedong promoted as the audience for literature in his 1942 Talks At The Yenan Forum On Literature And Art.
"Dogshit Food" won the 1985-86 best short story award.
"Fuxi Fuxi" won him the national Prize for Best Novelettes in 1987, and was the basis for the film Ju Dou.
His novel "Hei de xue" (Black Snow; ???), about the problems faced by a young juvenile delinquent upon his release from prison, was made into a feature film, and "PÃnzui Zhang Dà mÃn de xìngfú shenghuó" (The Happy Life of Chatter-box Zhang Damin;??????????) has been made into a television series in the same name.