He Jiahong has two thrillers being published in English. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A misjudged case in the 1980s in Heilongjiang province that got corrected in 1994 inspired his first novel Hanging Devils, and in the original Chinese version, an appendix containing the details of the actual case－photos of the crime scene, murder weapon and police interrogation records were attached.

In the second book of his series, Black Holes, the author writes about a revenge plot rooted in the "cultural revolution" and covered in the guise of a stock market fraud in the '90s, when China's stock exchanges were emerging.

The author's personal experiences also inspire him to vividly represent the historical background in his fictional accounts. The setting of a small farm in the freezing northeastern area in his first novel, and the chapters of flashback to Hong's life as a student in the US in the second one, are drawn from his own experience.

From He's point of view, the '90s were a critical phase that linked China's past to its present.

"The changes in Chinese society began in 1990s. Take the stock market, for example, the wealth gained overnight through speculation greatly influenced Chinese people's mindsets, and had a big impact on human nature.

"Although many young people nowadays don't care about the past, I think the past should be remembered as the nation's memory, including the 'cultural revolution'," he says.

He hopes his works will provide future generations with a reference of the age when drastic changes took place in China.