Born in Nanchang, Jiangxi, China. He became a French citizen in 1973. He was elected to the Académie française in 2002, and was the first person of Asian origin to be a member of the Academy. He was the winner of the 1998 Prix Femina for "Le Dit de Tianyi" (""The Tale of Tianyi"") (pub. Albin Michel, Paris, 1998).