Baren (Chinese: 巴人; pinyin: Bārén; 1901–1972), was a modern Chinese writer, critic and translator. Baren was born Wang Renshu (Chinese: 王任叔; pinyin: Wáng Rènshū) in Fenghua, Zhejiang. He went to elementary school when he was 8, and entered the Fourth Normal School of Zhejiang in 1915. After graduating in 1920, he became a grade school teacher. In 1923 he started to write short stories and poems, and joined the . One year later, Baren became a member of the Communist Party of China. In 1930, he joined the League of the Left-Wing Writers. When the anti-Japanese War broke out, Baren stayed in Shanghai to publicize anti-war culture. In 1942, he went to Indonesia, pursuing the anti-war movement. He returned to China in 1948.