Lu Xun (or Lu Hsun); was the pen name of Zhou Shuren (Chou Shu-jen); September 25; 1881 - October 19; 1936. One of the major Chinese writers of the 20th century. Considered by many to be the founder of modern Chinese literature; he wrote in baihua (the vernacular) as well as classical Chinese. Lu Xun was a short story writer; editor; translator; critic; essayist and poet. In the 1930s he became the titular head of the Chinese League of the Left-Wing Writers in Shanghai.