140th birth anniversary of great writer celebrated in Shaoxing

The opening ceremony of the 140th anniversary of the birth of Lu Xun, the pioneer of modern Chinese literature, was held in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province on Sept 25.

Over 400 representatives, including researchers of Lu Xun culture and winners of the prestigious Lu Xun Literature Award, gathered in the great writer's hometown to commemorate him.

Over the past decades, thousands of experts and scholars across the world have been studying Lu Xun's works and thoughts.

Lu Xun is the pen name of Zhou Shuren. He was born in Shaoxing on Sept 25, 1881 and died on October 9, 1936.

He gave up medical study in Japan in his 20s after realizing that it was more important to spiritually enlighten his compatriots rather than to cure their physical diseases.

Through his works, the master of irony produced harsh criticism on social problems in China. His works stood out like a lighthouse providing a guiding light for perplexed Chinese youths who were passionate about China's future. His works have been in textbooks for Chinese classes for years.