World Literary Awards

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Mao Dun Literature Prize まおどんぶんがくしょう

Edition 11 (2023)

Full-length novelChinese literatureLiterary award

Winners

5 people
Yang Zhijun やん じじゅん Winner

A long novel set on the plateau, depicting the transformation of contemporary China and the fate of the people who live there. It combines social concern with a strong sense of landscape and human endurance.

A plateau landscape frames the clash between tradition and change.

680 pages
contemporary Chinaplateausocial change
Qiao Ye ちゃお いえ Winner

A long novel about a village in transformation, where rural modernization and local life are woven into one story. It observes how community, work, and memory evolve in a changing countryside.

A village in transition becomes a portrait of rural modernity.

527 pages
rural transformationcommunitymemory
Liu Liangcheng りゅう りゃんちぇん Winner

A novel that draws on epic imagination to create a world of play, life, and collective memory. It turns the spirit of the Jangar tradition into a contemporary literary landscape.

An epic world of play becomes a modern literary landscape.

333 pages
epic traditionimaginationlife and play
Sun Ganlu そん かんろ Winner

A long novel about time, memory, and Shanghai, set against modern Chinese history. It portrays the inner life of characters and the transformation of the city.

Secret missions and urban change shape Shanghai’s hidden history.

386 pages
timememoryShanghaiurban change
Dong Xi どん しー Winner

A psychological novel in which a murder investigation and a woman detective’s private life unfold side by side. It links criminal inquiry, family pressure, and emotional erosion into one darkly textured story.

An investigation and a private life unravel together.

349 pages
investigationfamily pressurepsychological tension