10. Major literary figures that have passed away

Poet Wang Guozhen [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Wang Guozhen - poet, 1956-2015

Celebrated poet Wang Guozhen died of liver cancer at the age of 59 on April 26, one month before his latest anthology of poems was to be published.

Born in 1956 and a graduate of Jinan University in Guangzhou, where he majored in literature, Wang kicked off his poetry career in 1985, when his works were frequently posted in newspapers and magazines.

His books sold so well in 1990 that the people in the publishing business called it "The year of Wang Guozhen". The following decade witnessed an astonishing output of over 50 books.

The poet's demise has started heated discussions online, mostly about memories of his poems, nostalgia for the golden age of poetry and the importance of this art form in the present day.

Chinese translator Sheng Junfeng [Photo/Gmw.cn]

Cao Ying - translator, 1923-2015

Chinese translator Sheng Junfeng, known by his pen name Cao Ying, died in a Shanghai hospital on Oct 24.

Born in 1923 in East China's Zhejiang province, Cao Ying translated many Russian literary works into Chinese. He began to translate the complete works of Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy in 1960. In addition to Tolstoy, he also translated other Russian authors including Mikhail Sholokhov.

Oil painting master Luo Erchun [Photo/Beijing Times]

Luo Erchun - painter, 1930-2015

Chinese oil painting artist Luo Erchun, acclaimed as "a master of colors in contemporary Chinese oil painting" and known as the "Oriental Van Gogh", died in a fire at his home in Beijing on Oct 29.

Born in 1930 in Xiangxiang county of Hunan province, Luo won fame for painting the scenery of his hometown in Hunan. He had been a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts since 1964. In 1992, after he was entitled to stay in France, he often traveled between Europe and China.

Luo excelled at expressing strong emotions through the harmony and contrast of colors in his paintings.

Related:

Poet Wang Guozhen dies at 59

Eminent Chinese translator of Tolstoy dies at 93

Oil painting master Luo Erchun, 85, dies in house fire