Han Han is a Chinese novelist, blogger and champion race car driver.http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1931619,00.html He has published 15 novels and collections of essays since 2000. Han, however, sparks the most international interest and controversy with his blog that has generated over 430 million hits since 2006, making him the most widely read blogger in the world.http://blog.sina.com.cn/twocold His social and political commentary on China have deemed him a "rebel child" and the "torchbearer" of the post-1980s generation.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/6244112/Han-Han-finding-happiness-by-being-different.htmlhttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2010-07/17/content_10119904_2.htm

Han is also editor and producer of Party, a bimonthly art and literary magazine that features essays, photos and comics contributed by individuals of varying degrees of fame.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/30/arts/30iht-hanhan.html?_r=1 Party, or Duchangtuan in Chinese, was released in July 2010 and sold all 500,000 copies within the first four days it was available in book stores.http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2010-07/17/content_10119904.htm The journal took 18 months to come to fruition and is hailed as a major success for Han.http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2010-07/17/content_10119904.htm

Han struggled academically in high school, as he failed seven subjects and was held back a year in 1999.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/6244112/Han-Han-finding-happiness-by-being-different.html Despite his troubles in the classroom, he won the first national New Concept Composition Competition for his essay entitled "Viewing People through Glass."http://english.cri.cn/4406/2008/11/10/1981s422737.htm He eventually dropped out of school, but published his first novel Triple Gate at the age of 17. The book, which chronicles the experiences and dreams of a high school student in Shanghai, has sold over two million copies and is one of the best-selling novels in Chinese history.http://english.cri.cn/4406/2008/11/10/1981s422737.htm The story of Triple Gate resonated with young people, but it was the book's criticism of China's educational system as a whole that attracted public attention.http://english.cri.cn/4406/2008/11/10/1981s422737.htm

Han has since published several more novels, though most are not readily accessible for audiences outside of China. His blog, however, has garnered worldwide attention for its biting political and social commentary on current events in a country that heavily censors the exchange of information on the internet.http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2010/06/02/talk.asia.han.han.china.cnn?iref=allsearch Han openly speaks out against the "Great Firewall of China" and other ways the government inhibits freedom of expression.http://www.hanhandigest.com/?tag=great-firewall In 2009, TIME named Han number two on their list of Most Influential People in the World.http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2010/06/02/talk.asia.han.han.china.cnn?iref=allsearch Hong Kong's Asia Weekly and Guangzhou newspaper Southern Weekend both named him Person of the Year for 2009.http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/01/han-han-%E9%9F%A9%E5%AF%92-person-of-the-year-2009-and-his-new-magazine/ Han's blog has also drawn negative attention from the Chinese government, who have deleted four or five of Han's posts over the years, and critics who deem him "cold-blooded" and unpatriotic.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/6244112/Han-Han-finding-happiness-by-being-different.html

Han is also a professional automobile racer, competing in cities across China when he is not writing. He won first place in China's Rally Championship in 2005.http://english.cri.cn/4406/2008/11/10/1981s422737.htm

"All the merits advocated in the students’ textbooks, and what we Chinese pretend to possess, are actually what this time [period] lacks." — Han Hanhttp://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/01/asia-weekly-%E4%BA%9A%E6%B4%B2%E5%91%A8%E5%88%8A-interview-with-han-han-%E9%9F%A9%E5%AF%92-2/

"I won't attack anyone, but I will express what I consider to be correct. I think that is what a writer should do, and I don't feel angry when others accuse me of this." — Han Hanhttp://english.cri.cn/4406/2008/11/10/1981s422737.htm

"To me, it’s the same if one person reads my blog or if one million people read my blog. I only write down what should be written, and after I’ve written it down, if the writing remains then it remains. If the government decides to censor it, then they can delete it. I don’t really care because I am still alive, I can keep writing." — Han Hanhttp://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/none/han-han-interview-742925

"My only hope is that this country will be able to achieve something that we can truly show off. Otherwise, when I tell people about my country, and they ask, 'What films has your country produced? What literature?' all I’ll be able to come up with is Confucius. That’s really boring." — Han Hanhttp://wanderingchina.wordpress.com/2010/04/05/novelist-han-hana-city-built-on-a-heap-of-money-wont-shine/

Novels:

• 2000: Triple Gatehttp://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/01/han-han-%E9%9F%A9%E5%AF%92-person-of-the-year-2009-and-his-new-magazine/
• 2000: Flying as Youthhttp://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/01/han-han-%E9%9F%A9%E5%AF%92-person-of-the-year-2009-and-his-new-magazine/
• 2004: Turmoil of Chang'anhttp://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/01/han-han-%E9%9F%A9%E5%AF%92-person-of-the-year-2009-and-his-new-magazine/
• 2006: Ideal Cityhttp://www.peonyliteraryagency.com/mobile/authors.html
• 2007: The Day of Honorhttp://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/01/han-han-%E9%9F%A9%E5%AF%92-person-of-the-year-2009-and-his-new-magazine/
• 2009: His Nationhttp://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/01/han-han-%E9%9F%A9%E5%AF%92-person-of-the-year-2009-and-his-new-magazine

Collection of Essays:

• 2001: One Degree Below Zerohttp://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/01/han-han-%E9%9F%A9%E5%AF%92-person-of-the-year-2009-and-his-new-magazine/
• 2002: Poisonhttp://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/01/han-han-%E9%9F%A9%E5%AF%92-person-of-the-year-2009-and-his-new-magazine/
• 2002: Poison 2http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/01/han-han-%E9%9F%A9%E5%AF%92-person-of-the-year-2009-and-his-new-magazine/
• 2003: General Text 2003http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/01/han-han-%E9%9F%A9%E5%AF%92-person-of-the-year-2009-and-his-new-magazine/
• 2004: Han Han in Five Yearshttp://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/01/han-han-%E9%9F%A9%E5%AF%92-person-of-the-year-2009-and-his-new-magazine/
• 2005: Flowing Around Just Like Thishttp://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/01/han-han-%E9%9F%A9%E5%AF%92-person-of-the-year-2009-and-his-new-magazine/
• 2008: Random Textshttp://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/01/han-han-%E9%9F%A9%E5%AF%92-person-of-the-year-2009-and-his-new-magazine
• 2009: Grasshttp://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/01/han-han-%E9%9F%A9%E5%AF%92-person-of-the-year-2009-and-his-new-magazine
• 2009: Lovely Predatorshttp://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/01/han-han-%E9%9F%A9%E5%AF%92-person-of-the-year-2009-and-his-new-magazine