A legend in his own lifetime

Chen Zhongshi is one of Xi'an's best-known attractions because of his hugely successful novel White Deer Plain, which describes life in the area before the founding of New China. Zhao Huanxin and Lu Hongyan report.

The Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an are obviously a must-see, but so is "old farmer" Chen Zhongshi.

Wrinkle-faced and gravel-voiced, the 69-year-old looks more like a farmer than an author who has created a literary storm.