The Mao Dun Literature Award
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Chinese writers make global splash
Garnering many awards, literature from the mainland left a lasting impression on the international stage last year Chinese novels came of age in 2016, bagging many international awards. Children's writer Cao Wenxuan won the Hans Christian Andersen Award; Hao Jingfang took the Hugo Award (following Liu Cixin, the first Chinese winner of the award in 2015); and Wang Anyi, grabbed the 2017 Newman Prize for Chinese Literature from the University of Oklahoma in September. Veteran literary critic Meng Fanhua says the power of Chinese stories comes from the rural areas, "where we have the strongest literary traditions". Chinese writers make global splash Books published in 2016 in English or Chinese (clockwise from top left): Death's End by Liu Cixin, Mercy by Lu Nei, Ruined City by Jia Pingwa, Flock of Brown Birds by Ge Fei, The Cocoon by Zhang Yueran and Paper Hawk by Ge Liang. Photos Provided to China Daily Another veteran critic - Bai Ye, from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences - says that while traditional and established novel writers continue to produce works, younger writers who were born in the 1970s, 80s and 90s are also gaining ground. "Every year there are about 5,000 novels published in the country. But, this year, I noticed writers are more keen to reflect the pulse of society, and their writings are close to everyday reality and easier for general readers to accept." Bai, who produces an annual report on Chinese novels, adds that rural life is one of the key elements in the books published last year. As urbanization expands, the nostalgia for rural life grows, as seen in Jia Pingwa's work The Jihua Flower, he says. The novel, about the plight of an abducted girl, stirred a debate about gender equality soon after its release in March. Other themes writers tackled last year were urban life and history. "It was also a trend for writers to personalize their take on history, offering a touch of warmth to a cold past," Bai says, pointing to Mao Dun Literature Award winner Ge Fei's Wang Chun Feng (or The Spring Breeze) as an example of this kind of work. Wang Chun Feng is about a village's transformation as seen through the eyes of a young boy. Chinese writers make global splash Giving other examples of these kinds of works, Bai points to Fang Fang's Bare Burial, a story about a lost family history during and after the country's land reform, and Lu Nei's Mercy, about a factory worker's life before and after China's reform and opening-up. Another example is Hong Kong-based writer Ge Liang, who was born in 1978, and his semibiographical referring to younger writers, Bai says that those born in the 1980s are making a noticeable impression on their audiences. Zhang Yueran made a mark with The Cocoon, which is about two young people searching for the facts behind the disappearance of their fathers. Online writer Tangjia Sanshao (real name Zhang Wei) also caught Bai's attention with an autobiographical novel about how a self-made writer achieved fame with help of his wife. Online literature is offering more choices to readers. It "fills a blank in the Chinese book market", says Shao Yanjun, a web literature expert at Peking University who says he expects internet literature to be assimilated more into the mainstream. Chinese writers make global splash Eight internet writers were elected to the national committee of the China Writers' Association at the group's annual meeting in December. Tangjia Sanshao was elected to the presidium of the association. Explaining how internet literature is growing from strength to strength, Shao says it has now become a major source of adaptation for movies and games, and because of its large readership there is a spurt in the sales of TV and film rights of online works in China. For instance, The Interpreters, a TV series based on a work by Miao Juan about the professional and love lives of two language translators, attracted millions of viewers when it hit TV screens in May. As for the money online writers are making, Liu Chang, who started writing science fiction novels full-time in 2012 under the pen name Biting Dog, says that the TV and film adaptation rights for his work Global Evolution is worth around 2 million yuan ($300,000; 270,000 euros; 246,500). "Internet literature is becoming more diverse in terms of quality and topics," says Peking University's Shao, citing Zeng Dengke (pen name Crazy Banana) as a good example. Zeng writes historical fantasy and tries to match classical literature. Another significant trend noticed by Shao and her students is that Chinese internet literature is attracting Western readers, who are also translating Chinese online novels into English on online forums such as Wuxiaworld.com. The site was started by Chinese-American Lai Jingping, known as RWX on the forum, who quit a foreign service job to start the translation website. As for literary genres that made it big last year, sci-fi was near the top. Wu Yan, director of the Sci-fi Study Center at Beijing Normal University, says he sees more attention being paid to the genre, with a growing number of forums and campus seminars. Even though Hugo Award winner Liu Cixin joked that Chinese scientists were keeping their distance from sci-fi writers, Wu says the China Association for Science and Technology took many initiatives to use sci-fi to promote popular science to the public. Its efforts included organizing the China Sci-Fi Festival, the first large-scale sci-fi event, in Beijing in September. Moreover, sci-fi works have begun to infiltrate classrooms, which once dismissed such works. "Even startups are focusing on sci-fi," he says. "But, despite the good news for sci-fi in China, I did not see too many good works produced in 2016." However, despite his disappointment, Wu recommended a few works. Among his picks were young sci-fi writer Jiang Bo, who recently finished the last installment of his trilogy The Heart of Galaxy, which won the World Chinese Science Fiction Association prize. Wu also recommended River of Time, a work on time travel by 68-year-old Wang Jinkang, who has been writing science fiction for more than 20 years. Other notable mentions included the works of overseas Chinese-Americans published in China, such as short stories by sci-fi writer Ken Liu, whose translations of the works of Liu Cixin and Hao Jingfang helped them win their Hugos. Another Chinese-American who earned a mention was Karen Bao, a graduate of Columbia University, who recently published the first installment of her sci-fi series The Dove Chronicles in China. On a more somber note, 2016 was also the year when China lost two literary stars: Chen Zhongshi and Yang Jiang. Contact the writers through xingyi@chinadaily.com.cn (China Daily European Weekly 01/13/2017 page18)
Chinese novels make waves globally
With many international awards, literary works from the mainland made a mark on the international stage last year. Xing Yi and Mei Jia report. Chinese novels came of age in 2016 bagging many international awards, as in the case of children's literature writer Cao Wenxuan winning the Hans Christian Andersen Award, Hao Jingfang taking the Hugo Award after Liu Cixin, the first Chinese winner of the award in 2015, and Wang Anyi grabbing the 2017 Newman Prize for Chinese Literature from The University of Oklahoma in September. Veteran literary critic Meng Fanhua says 2016 was a big year for novels and he says that the power of Chinese stories come from the rural areas, "where we have the strongest literary traditions". Another veteran critic Bai Ye, who is with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, says that while traditional and established novel writers continue to produce works, younger writers who were born in the 1970s, '80s and '90s are also gaining ground. "Every year there are about 5,000 novels published in the country. But, this year, I noticed writers are more keen to reflect the pulse of the society, and their writings are close to everyday reality and easier for general readers to accept." Bai, who produces an annual report on Chinese novels, also says that rural life is one of the key elements in the books published last year, and adds that as urbanization spreads, the nostalgia for rural life grows as seen in Jia Pingwa's work聽The Jihua Flower. The novel, about an abducted girl and her plight, stirred a debate about gender equality soon after its release in March. Other themes that writers tackled last year were urban life and history. "It was also a trend for writers to personalize their take on history, offering a touch of warmth to a cold past," says Bai, and he pointed to Mao Dun Literature Award winner Ge Fei's Wang Chun Feng (The Spring Breeze) as an example of this kind of work. Wang Chun Feng is about a village's transformation seen through the eyes of a young boy. Giving other examples of these kinds of works, Bai points to Fang Fang's Bare Burial, a story about a lost family history during and after land reform, and Lu Nei's Mercy, which is about a factory worker's life before and after reform and opening up. Another example is Hong Kong-based Ge Liang, born in 1978, and his semi-family biography Paper Hawk. Referring to younger writers, Bai says that writers born in the 1980s are making a noticeable impression on their audiences. Zhang Yueran made a mark with The Cocoon, which is about two young people searching for the facts behind the disappearance of their fathers. Online writer Tangjia Sanshao's (real name Zhang Wei) autobiographical novel also caught Bai's attention. The book is about how a self-made writer achieved fame with help of his wife. Meanwhile, online writing is offering more choices to readers. "Online literature fills a blank in the Chinese book market," says Shao Yanjun, a web literature expert with Peking University, and he expects internet literature to get more assimilated into the mainstream. Separately, eight internet writers were elected to the national committee of the China Writers' Association at its annual meeting in December. Tangjia Sanshao was elected to the presidium of the association. Explaining how internet literature is growing from strength to strength, Shao says it has now become a major source of adaptation for movies and games, and because of its large readership there is a spurt in the sales of TV and film rights of online works in China. For instance, The Interpreters, a TV series based on a work by Miao Juan about the professional and love lives of two interpreters, attracted millions of viewers when it hit TV screens in May. As for the money online writers are making, Liu Chang, who started writing sci-fi novels full-time in 2012 under the pen name Biting Dog, says that the TV and film adaptation rights for his work Global Evolution is worth around 2 million yuan ($300,000). Focusing on the variety produced by online writers, Shao says: "Internet literature is also becoming more diversified in terms of quality and topics." A good example of this is Zeng Dengke－known by the online pen name Crazy Banana－who writes historical fantasy and tries to match classical literature. Another significant trend noticed by Shao and her students is Chinese internet literature attracting Western readers, who are also translating Chinese online novels into English on online forums such as Wuxiaworld.com, started by American-Chinese Lai Jingping, known as RWX on the forum, who quit the foreign service job to start the translation website. Coming to the literary genres that made it big last year, sci-fi was near the top. Wu Yan, director of the Sci-fi Study Center at Beijing Normal University, says he sees more attention being paid to the genre with a growing number of forums and seminars on campus. Even though Liu Cixin had joked Chinese scientists were keeping their distance from sci-fi writers, Wu says that the China Association for Science and Technology took many initiatives to use sci-fi to promote popular science to the public, and its efforts included organizing the China Sci-Fi Festival, the first large-scale sci-fi event, in Beijing in September. Besides, sci-fi works have also started entering classrooms, which used to dismiss such works, he says, adding "Even startups are focusing on sci-fi." "But, despite the good news for sci-fi in China, I did not see too many good works produced in 2016. I think this partly due to the fact that the good news distracted writers." However, despite his disappointment, Wu recommended a few works. Among his picks were young sci-fi writer Jiang Bo, who has just finished the last installment of his trilogy The Heart of Galaxy, which won the World Chinese Science Fiction Association prize. Wu also recommended River of Time, a work on time travel by 68-year-old Wang Jinkang, who has been writing sci-fi for more than 20 years. Other notable mentions included the works of overseas Chinese Americans published in China such as short stories by sci-fi writer Ken Liu, whose translations of Liu Cixin and Hao Jingfang works helped them win Hugo Award. Another overseas Chinese American who won a mention was Karen Bao, a graduate from Columbia University, who has just published the first installment of her sci-fi series The Dove Chronicles in China. On a more somber note, 2016 was also the year when China lost two literary stars: Chen Zhongshi and Yang Jiang. Contact the writers through xingyi@chinadaily.com.cn
Wuzhen, a dream town
Wuzhen in Zhejian province is an historic scenic water town that lies within the triangle formed by Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai. There are many towns like Wuzhen but what makes it the best is the unbelievable amalgamation of tech savviness and traditional China. The entire town is connected to Wi-Fi available to everyone. The infrastructure is continuously upgraded and even new buildings are constructed so that they evoke old Chinese structures. The youth here are so proud of their clean, well managed and beautiful town. Every corner, street and building has a joyful surprise for a tourist. Technology has played an important role in the daily lives of Wuzhen residents but they have kept their traditions and culture. Wherever I went all the people greeted me and helped me in understanding their culture and way of life, guided me through their proud history and showed great hope for their town. People here are so friendly that they go out of their way to guide you and help you. I had a chance to go around and meet some people, like Zhou Yishun, a local resident and a young energetic man who was so enthusiastic to show me his beautiful town. My Chinese is weak but every single person I met tried to understand, very patiently, what I meant. I admire the presentation of Chinese people in even very small things. They go into minute detail and consideration in carrying out any task. I met two young volunteers, Li Cunbo and Li Qian, from Zhejiang University and they explained how the use of technology and the internet is a part of life in their community. They were on a practical training to handle and interact with tourists and guide people. There were many volunteers, all from different universities, always ready to help visitors in a very harmonious and synchronized manner. I saw the restaurant where last year President Xi and Prime Minister Medvedev had dinner together during the 2nd World Internet Summit. It is not possible that one does not admire the way these local residents represent themselves. My opinion is they are very honest, hard working, friendly and full of life. The dream town of Wuzhen is beautiful not only because of its scenic views and clean environment but also because of these lively and environmentally-friendly residents. A famous writer, Mao Dun, is from this town and due to his love and inspiration for this place he wrote novels about Wuzhen. They show a real and deep picture about the culture and life in this peaceful town. Mao Dun was once the minister of culture after the founding of People’s Republic of China. There is a literature award associated with his name, the Mao Dun Literature Award for writers of long novels. It is one of the highest literature awards in China. Another young female student, Xu Yuwei, a proud resident of Wu Zhen, told me about the famous photographer Xu Xiaobing, who was born in Wuzhen and was an official photographer to Chairman Mao Zedong . Another master of both art and literature, Mu Xin, was from Wuzhen. He is more famous in foreign countries due to his writings about Chinese culture and traditions. Wuzhen has a long and interesting history. The peaceful and friendly environment enables a visitor to find inner peace and satisfaction in this happy and lively town. The people here are eager to learn more about the other cultures and they interact with visiting foreigners to learn about their respective countries. I respect the Chinese government; they have invested in keeping the livelihood and well being of their people. There is so much we can learn from this great culture and integrate in our respective societies. Even simple things are presented in such a manner that cannot be compared in any other society. There are many other tourist and scenic places on the planet but after visiting such a beautiful town, I can say, with confidence, that if one has not experienced the love, care and life in Wuzhen, one has wasted the time elsewhere. Adil Hashimy is the director of the Department of Rebroadcasting and Market of Pakistan's National Television. He was a guest at the Internet Culture Forum during the third World Internet Conference held in Wuzhen from Nov 16-18.
Knowledge Graph
Examples
1 We discuss the Awarded Realistic Works and the Awarding Mechanism of The Mao Dun Literature Award.
2 The relationship between Mao Dun Prize for literature and the awarded works is not simply the value production relation but restricted by the position of Mao Dun Literature Award in the field of literature and the tension between its position and literary field in different periods.
3 The Cultural Significance of Qin Opera Rewarded Mao Dun Literature Award