Born in 1984 in Nanling county, Anhui province, Shen has a master’s degree in classic Chinese literature from Nanjing University. Rural life in southern Anhui, where she grew up, is a constant theme of her writing. She has published three essay collections, including her latest “Where Do the Swallows Fly To” (《燕子最后飞去了哪里》, 2017), a moving family memoir of her and her four sisters and their urban migration.