鲁双芹
I was born in 1953 in Beijing. In 1966, my elementary education was interrupted by the "Cultural Revolution". I was then sent, together with tens of thousands of students like myself, to work on the farms in Northeast China in 1969. I returned to Beijing in two years and started to learn painting and English by myself. During this time, together with some friends, I started an "underground salon" at my home. Participated in by more than a dozen young people all interested in literature, poetry and arts, this salon was active through out the mid 70's. In late 70's, I helped with the illustrations for a project "History of Chinese Ancient Costumes" led by Mr. Shen Congwen, a well-known author and scholar in China. By his recommendation, I then worked in the National Museum of History for copying and duplicating the ancient artworks.
In 1984, I passed the state examinations for self-learners and started working in overseas commercial offices from Australia and Denmark as secretary and translator until retirement in 2005. I then took courses in glass casting at Qinghua University and set up my own studio in suburbs of Beijing while keeping writing as a freelancer.
