Han Han, a young Chinese writer, has been nominated by Time magazine as a candidate for its annual list of 100 most influential people in the world.

Han was born in Shanghai in 1982. As a member of China's allegedly self-centered 1980s generation, he performed poorly at school. His academic progress as a high school student foundered in 1999, when he failed seven subjects, including Chinese. He spent another year trying to catch up but eventually decided to quit. Before dropping out, he won top prize in a national essay contest that encourages innovative student writing.

He published his first novel Triple Gate in 2000 based on his own high school experience. The bestseller sparked a debate on China's education system.

Apart from being a writer, Han is a professional rally car driver. He also writes a popular blog, which has registered more than 300 million hits.