One consists of commercially viable and politically adroit writers, many of whom are also known to international readers: Mo Yan, Su Tong, Wang Shuo, Wang Meng.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Young China | Flashback: It's Not All About Money

Ms. Xu was also rumored to have dated the satirical novelist Wang Shuo.

WSJ: My China: China's Creative Pragmatist