Qian Zhongshu fue un erudito y escritor literario chino, reconocido por su ingenio y erudición. Sus obras, en particular la novela satírica La fortaleza sitiada, se caracterizan por el uso extensivo de citas tanto en chino como en lenguas occidentales. Este autor dejó una marca significativa con su estilo único y su profunda comprensión de la literatura.
Published in English as Fortress Besieged.From Amazon:"Intended for learners of Chinese as a second language, this is an abridged version of the novel by Qian Zhongshu. [....] Maintaining the major plots true to the original, the abridged version of 40,000 words, represents approximately one-sixth of the original 230,000 Chinese characters."
Set on the eve of the Sino-Japanese war, this work recounts the exuberant misadventures of the hapless hero Fang Hung-chien, who after aimlessly studying in Europe at his family's expense returns to Shanghai armed with a bogus degree from a fake university. On the liner back, Fang's life becomes deeply entangled with those of two Chinese beauties.