

He asked to go to Xishuangbanna, a tropical region in southwest China, mainly because he had heard of all the different animals there, and because he hoped he could have a hunting dog. In 1969, when lots of young people from Chinese cities were sent to remote rural areas, the 16-year-old Shen was asked to choose from nine different regions.

Winner of the National Outstanding Children’s Literature Award, and the Chen Bochui Children's Literature Award.Shen Shixi Shen Shixi was born in Shanghai in 1952. Even if an animal happened to escape from one crisis, it may never escape the next. There are thus numerous traps in Shen’s jungles, and there is no happy ending or final closure. No matter how smart, sly, and strong the animals are, they would eventually be killed by other animals or by people. Danger from their natural enemies, competition among the same kind, shortage of food, and hunting by humans have always stood as great threats to their lives. The unique landscape and settings in Xishuang Banna has given Shen ample room for creation, as well as material for an original taste of life in the forest. Most of the animals in his books are wild animals, who live mainly in the vast wilderness, the hot humid tropical rainforest, the freezing snow-covered mountain, or the surging Lantsang River. Shen is best known for his animal stories, and is known as the "King of Animal Stories". In 1992 he moved to creative office of the Chengdu Military Region. He became a member of the Yunnan Writers Association in 1982, and the China Writers Association in 1985. In 1975 he joined the army, and was Head of the Propaganda Department.

In 1968 he was sent to a village of the Dai people in Xishuangbanna.

Shen Shixi was born in Shanghai in October 1952. In 2015 he was the 9th highest earning author, earning royalties of 12 million RMB. He is best known for his animal stories, and is known as the "King of Animal Stories". Shen Shixi ( Chinese: 沈石溪 pinyin: Shěn Shíxī born October 1952), also known as Shen Yiming ( 沈一鸣 Shěn Yīmíng), is a best-selling children's author in China.
