Shen Fu

For the film director, see Shen Fu (director).

In this Chinese name, the family name is Shen.

Shen Fu (Chinese: 沈復; 26 December 1763 – after 1825), courtesy name Sanbai (三白), was a Chinese writer of the Qing Dynasty, best known for his autobiography Six Records of a Floating Life.

Shen Fu
Native name	沈復
Born	26 December 1763 Suzhou, Jiangsu, Qing China
Died	After 1825
Pen name	Sanbai
Occupation	Yamen
Language	Literary Chinese
Period	1780s?–1807
Genre	Autobiography
Notable works	Six Records of a Floating Life
Spouse	Chen Yun (m. 1780)

Shen Fu
Traditional Chinese	沈復
Simplified Chinese	沈复
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Shěn Fù IPA [ʂə̀n fû]
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese	三白
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Sānbái

Life

Dwelling of a yamen in Suzhou, 18th century (from the painting Prosperous Suzhou)

Shen Fu was born in Changzhou (长洲, in Suzhou, Jiangsu province) in 1763. He was known as a great writer and wrote one of the best known descriptions of everyday life during the Qing Dynasty, Six Records of a Floating Life. In this text, which was completed in 1807, Shen Fu describes the gentle personality of his wife, Chen Yun (陈芸), and his love for her. He also chronicles the rejection of Chen Yun by his parents and her untimely death. Shen Fu was a government clerk, a yamen private secretary.

The work is considered a great classic of Chinese literature.^[1]