Mao Dun (4 July 1896 - 27 March 1981) was the pen name of Shen Dehong (Shen Yanbing), a 20th-century Chinese novelist, cultural critic, and journalist. He was also the Minister of Culture of China from 1949 to 1965. He is renowned as one of the best realist novelists in the history of modern China. His most famous works are Ziye, a grand novel depicting life in cosmopolitan Shanghai, and Spring Silkworms.