into the harsh realities of the time, they also reflected his deep sentiments toward his country and its people. Wartime writings The following books were written between 1939 and 1946 and reflected Xiao Qian's experience during the Second World War while he was living in the United Kingdom and Western Europe: Symphony of Contradictions Bloody September London under Silver Kites These works were mostly concerned with the day-to-day life of ordinary English citizens. They contained an analysis or speculation about political and military matters. While he was impressed by the determination of the English to defeat Germany, he also observed their negative cultural traits. Major works of literature Popular publications As a journalist, he wrote a variety of publications. One of them is his book: xin bian wen shi biji cong shu (). The series contains 50 books, in which 6,000,000 words were written. These series were written between the 1980s and early 1990s. The books collected a range of anecdotes and highlights from over 2000 celebrities and researchers. The series became highly reputable and widely accepted when it was released. As the last volume of the series published in October 1994, another edition of the series were published in Hong Kong and Taiwan shortly after. The work was awarded the "Chinese Book Prize" in 1993. Essays In addition to his books Xiao also wrote several notable essays. Though Xiao wrote no more than 20 essays, they played a very important role in the development of Chinese essay history. All his works were published under the name of "Tatamulin", an exiled Latvian merchant, between the years 1946 and 1948. His essays were satirical and often contained criticisms of contemporary political issues at that time. His essays also include a considerable amount of poetry which express his strong feelings toward China at that time. The sole purpose of all his essays was to end the political dictatorship of the Kuomintang in China, and thus promote a peaceful, democratic Utopia. His magnum opus is "Long talk by red hair" (红毛长谈, hóngmáo chángtán). In the polarised political climate of that time in China, his two essays — "Ease, tolerance & personnel work" () and "Why do people's presses become the government offices?" () — caused him to be labelled a rightist in 1957. Translations Apart from his work as a journalist and a writer, Xiao also translated important works of European literature into