Sheng's works depict the real lives of China's poor, the survival of its women, and situations revolving around the human spirit, written in a language that is violent, enthusiastic, and experimental.
Her work has been translated into English and many other languages, including French, Italian, Spanish, German, Swedish, Russian, Czech, Polish, Japanese and Korean.
Her works include the novels Northern Girls, Death Fugue and Wild Fruit, as well as the novella Paradise and several short story collections.
[5] Death Fugue, banned for publication in mainland China, is a political allegory that “recalls Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World,” according to The New York Times,[6] and “in a tradition that includes George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Philip K. Dick, Margaret Atwood and other keen critics of human folly,” according to The Washington Post.
[7] Sheng's three recent novels, The Womb, The Metaphor Detox Centre, and Maid's Notes are part of a trilogy on the topic of women's destinies.