How Chinese writers celebrate winning the Mao Dun Literature Prize

The 9th Mao Dun Literature Prize, one of China's top awards for writing, announced its winners on Sunday. Successful novels and their authors include The Jiangnan Trilogy by Ge Fei; Zhe Bian Feng Jing (Unique Landscape) by Wang Meng; Sheng Ming Ce (A Record of Life) by Li Peifu, Fan Hua (Blooming Flower) by Jin Yucheng and Huang Que Ji (Siskin) by Su Tong.

In addition to the writers and works, people are also interested in the reaction of winners. Let’s take a glimpse at how Chinese writers celebrate winning the Mao Dun Literature Prize.

At 81, Wang Meng didn’t plan any celebration. [File photo]

Wang Meng

The 81-year-old Wang Meng, on vacation in the coastal city Beidaihe, Hebei province, said he did not expect to win with a work that had been "frozen" for 34 years and he won't celebrate that.

"It's really good news. But I have so many works to deal with right now, and I'm 81 years old after all, so I won't celebrate for that," he said.

Since the 1st Mao Dun Literature Prize, Wang was a regular nominee but didn't win a prize for more than 30 years after four nominations.

"Compared with the expectation of my readers, I'm sorry that my work is not good enough this time. But it's still good news to me. I started to write it 40 years ago, and once negated it by myself. After being frozen for 34 years, it was published and accepted, and even won such a prize. That's the most special part of the book," he said.