Yu Hua, one of China's best-known novelists, is hailed as the Chinese Dickens, whose simple, carefully-drawn and emotionally charged works, which take a dark look at the plight of China, have aroused echoes in the hearts of his readers. His novels To Live and Chronicle of a Blood Merchant were listed in the Top Ten Novels of the 1990s. He is the recipient of numerous international awards and honors, including the Italian Grinzane Cavour Prize(1998), James Joyces Award(2002), Chevalier de Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France (2004), Special Book Award of China (2005), and the French Prix Courrier International (2008) for To Live, which was adapted for film by director Zhang Yimou.