Born into a peasant family in rural Hunan province in 1963,[1] Wu is a member of the Hefei Literature Association, and a recipient of 2004 Lettre Ulysses Award.
Although he was twenty years her senior and already a well established novelist and playwright, Wu was critical of Chen's writing style—particularly the authenticity of his female characters.
[2] They began working on collaborative writing projects, and in 2001 travelled to Anhui province to investigate the life of rural peasants.
In late 2003, they published the results of their investigation, titled A Survey of Chinese Peasants (Zhongguo Nongmin Diaocha), in a literary magazine.
[4] Soon after the book's publication, local Communist Party official Zhang Xide sued Chen and Wu for libel, seeking 200,000 yuan in damages.