1. Gao Xingjian left the country in 1987 and his plays from The Other Shore onward increasingly centered on universal concerns, but his 1989 play Exile angered both the government for its depiction of China and the overseas democracy movement for its depiction of intellectuals.
Gao Xingjian's influences include classical Chinese opera, folk culture, and 20th century European drama such as Antonin Artaud, and he said in 1987 that as a writer he could be placed at the meeting point between Western and Eastern cultures.
Gao Xingjian's father was a clerk in the Bank of China, and his mother was a member of YMCA.
Gao Xingjian's mother was once a playactress of Anti-Japanese Theatre during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Under his mother's influence, Gao Xingjian enjoyed painting, writing and theatre very much when he was a little boy.
In 1952, Gao Xingjian entered the Nanjing Number 10 Middle School which was the Middle School attached to Nanjing University.
In 1957 Gao Xingjian graduated, and, following his mother's advice, chose Beijing Foreign Studies University instead of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, although he was thought to be talented in art.
In 1962 Gao Xingjian graduated from the Department of French, BFSU, and then he worked for the Chinese International Bookstore.
Gao Xingjian taught as a Chinese teacher in Gangkou Middle School, Ningguo county, Anhui Province for a short time.
In 1977 Gao Xingjian worked for the Committee of Foreign Relationship, Chinese Association of Writers.
In 1980, Gao Xingjian became a screenwriter and playwright for the Beijing People's Art Theatre.
Gao Xingjian is known as a pioneer of absurdist drama in China, where Signal Alarm and Bus Stop were produced during his term as resident playwright at the Beijing People's Art Theatre from 1981 to 1987.
Gao Xingjian's plays Wild Man and The Other Shore openly criticised the government's state policies.
In 1986 Gao Xingjian was misdiagnosed with lung cancer, and he began a 10-month trek along the Yangtze, which resulted in his novel Soul Mountain.
Gao Xingjian is a painter, known especially for his ink and wash painting.
Gao Xingjian became a resident playwright with the Beijing People's Art Theatre in 1981, and in 1982 he wrote his first play, Absolute Signal.
Gao Xingjian left Beijing and went into self-exile, returning in November 1984.
Premier Zhu Rongji of the State Council of the People's Republic of China delivered a congratulatory message to Gao Xingjian when interviewed by the Hong Kong newspaper East Daily :.
Gao Xingjian's work has led to fierce discussion among Chinese writers, both positive and negative.
Gao Xingjian's plays Absolute Signal, Bus Stop, and Wild Man gave him a positive reputation overseas.
English-language scholars who have written books about Gao Xingjian's work include Sy Ren Quah, Letizia Fusini, Todd Coulter, Izabella Labedzka, and Mary Mazzilli.
In 2011, President Chang Kuo-En traveled to France to extend an invitation, resulting in Mr Gao Xingjian becoming a chair professor at the Graduate Institute of Performing Arts in 2012, where he has been teaching courses for several years.
Since 2012, NTNU has collaborated closely with Professor Gao Xingjian to organize a series of events and performances.
Furthermore, Professor Gao himself donated and unveiled the Xingjian Hall, a rehearsal room for the Graduate Institute of Performing Arts.
In 2020, Professor Gao Xingjian celebrated his 10th year as an NTNU chair professor, commemorating this milestone by generously donating various manuscripts and pertinent books to the university.