Rebellious writer steps into film(2)

This brought immediate and widespread derision from Han's fans, who thought Guo's actions glorified materialism and were full of narcissism.

In contrast, Han's blog is usually about his critical opinions on heated social and political issues as well as new phenomena of culture and education. His sharp and cynical criticism, in the eyes of Guo's followers, was just claptrap and hype.

Han used to tell media that "Guo and I have different genders" to shrug off the comparison. He said the values conveyed in Guo's books are very superficial, "low" and cater to the tastes of post-1990s people living in the rural-urban fringe.

"I think I am better than him in every aspect, except for one thing: I am not as rich as he is," Han said in an early interview.

In response, Guo said he didn't even know who Han was and that his comments meant nothing to him.

The inevitable comparison of the two films is also expected to trigger a big "battle" between their fans.

Born into an intellectual family in Shanghai, Han impressed China's literary scene with his first novel, "Triple Gate." Written when he was just 17, the book tells a story of youth and growth, and it criticizes the country's rigid education system.

The book sold more than 2 million copies when published in 2000. Later, Han published a few more best-selling books and anthologies, which accumulated hundreds of millions of readers and fans.

Ever since he came onto the scene as a teenager, Han has been seen as a rebellious figure. He dropped out of high school because he hated subjects other than writing. At the peak of his writing career, he took up car racing. The thrilling sport, in his words, gave him a sense of achievement and proved to himself that he was a well-rounded learner.

In 2010, "Party" or "Solo Band," a literary magazine he created and edited, was shut down because of edgy essays and photographs. Its only published issue sold more than 1.5 million copies.

The same year, Han was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. He was also interviewed by CNN as a young and influential Chinese writer.

However, in the eyes of many Chinese people, Han is also a person of endless controversy. He had a series of online debates with many Chinese cultural celebrities, including famous writer Lu Tianming, film director Lu Chuan, musician Gao Xiaosong and poet Bai Hua.

In 2012, anti-fraud crusader Fang Zhouzi questioned the authenticity of his works and claimed that some of them were actually written by Han's father. Han responded with a showcase and publishing of his manuscripts and a lawsuit against Fang.

The writer has also been suspected of having extramarital affairs. To the surprise of many, Han responded with the following words: "The woman I love most in the world is my daughter. I have built up a strong bond with my wife. Perhaps some other women can also be like a family to me. I hope that they and my wife can help each other and keep a harmonious relationship. I may fall in love with someone else. Even so, no one can change my feelings for my wife."

Today, Han's new nickname is "national father-in-law" after he posted pictures of his 4-year-old daughter. A lot of his fans joked that they would wait for a day to marry her when she grows up. Han only requests his daughter to be "a person with rich imagination and a kind heart."

Soon a new book by Han will be published. It contains Han's essays about dreams, life and film. He will also share his conception of the movie and the novel experience of being a director.