Can Xue is the pseudonym of celebrated experimental writer Deng Xiaohua, born in 1953 in the city of Changsha. She is the author of Love in the New Millennium, I Live in the Slums, and Five Spice Street, among other books. Karen Gernant is a professor emerita of Chinese history. Chen Zeping was a professor emeritus of Chinese linguistics. Together, they have translated numerous works of Chinese literature.