Defining voice of 1980s-90s
京味 ('Beijing-flavor') fiction and the
痞子文学 'hooligan literature' genre - irreverent, slangy, cynical about state pieties. His novella 《
动物凶猛》 was adapted by Jiang Wen into the 1994 film 《
阳光灿烂的日子》 (In the Heat of the Sun). Collaborated with Feng Xiaogang on early TV and film comedies that shaped post-reform mainland pop culture.