Han Han (韓寒)

 Royalty income: 9.8 million yuan (US$1.57 million)

Bestseller: "Collection of Han Han" 《韓寒文集》

Age: 30

2011 Ranking: 7

Born in 1982 in Shanghai, Han Han is a noted post-1980s Chinese writer as well as a professional rally driver. A former high school dropout, Han wrote his first novel entiled "Triple Door" in 1999, which became a bestseller in China and has so far sold more than 1.9 million copies. As of July 2012, Han has written 15 novels and collections of essays, including "Like Speeding Youth," "Riot in Chang'an City," "A Fortress," "Glory Days," "His Kingdom," and "1988, I Want to Talk with the World."

Recently, Han has been writing less since he embarked on his new career as a professional rally driver, but he does still blog on current affairs. Some of his sharp commentaries have attracted a great number of readers and triggered heated debates. As a writer with incisive, original thoughts and a distinctive personality, Han is widely regarded as the leading figure of the post-80s generation. In 2010, he was ranked 2nd on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.