Media Center
the first Lijiang River Literature Award Ceremony [Photo provided to higuilin.com.cn]
On the evening of May 13th, the first Lijiang River Literature Award was announced by the river bank. Wang Meng, Sun Pin, Yi Zhou, Mu Tao, Zang Di and Mo Huajie were recipients of the honors.
The recognition was based initially on recommendations made by each of the judges, followed by a collective discussion and a final anonymous vote. The award winners for the first Lijiang River Literary Award are as follows:
Long Novel: "The Monkey and the Boy" by Wang Meng
Medium-length Novel: "The Promise of Ditang" by Sun Pin
Short Story Collection: "The Xin Chou Story Collection" by Yi Zhou
Prose: "The Chinese Perspective" by Mu Tao
Poetry: "A Concise History of Spirits and Beings" by Zang Di
Non-Fiction: "In the Dust of the World" by Mo Huajie
Wangmeng (left) received the Lijiang River Literature Award. [Photo provided to higuilin.com.cn]
Yi Zhou (L1) and Sunpin (L3) received the Lijiang River Literature Award. [Photo provided to higuilin.com.cn]
Mu Tao, Zang Di and Mo Huajie received the Lijiang River Literature Award. [Photo provided to higuilin.com.cn]
The Lijiang River Literature Award is led by the Guangxi Writers Association and hosted by Lijiang River Publishing House. It seeks to encourage innovative creations in contemporary Chinese literature, showcase the latest achievements in Chinese literature, and further strengthen the communication between Chinese and ASEAN literature. The award is held annually and accompanied by the "Lijiang River Literature Night" award ceremony and literary seminar.
In April 2023, the award was fully launched, and the final evaluation panel had a strong lineup. Well-known writer Yu Hua served as the chairman of the judging committee. Dong Xi, the chairman of the Guangxi Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Guangxi Writers Association, served as the deputy chairman of the committee. The judges included Cheng Yongxin, the editor-in-chief of "Harvest"; Zhang Qinghua, the president of the Chinese Contemporary Literature Research Association and the executive director of the International Writing Center at Beijing Normal University; Zhang Yanling, the editor-in-chief of "Southern Literary Forum" and the chairman of the Guangxi Literary Critics Association; and Xie Youshun, a professor and critic in the Chinese Department of Sun Yat-sen University. Six award-winning works were announced on the evening of May 13th.
The selection criteria for the Lijiang River Literature Award are: adherence to the principle of unity of ideology and artistry; promoting the core values of socialism and meeting the expectations of the people for a better life; reflecting the people's subjectivity and the reality of the new era, shaping the image of the new generation of the times and expressing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; diversity of themes, styles, and subjects; focus on the artistic quality of works; encouraging creative transformation and innovative development; and promoting outstanding works with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese spirit.
the Literary Performance [Photo provided to higuilin.com.cn]
During the evening, a variety of exciting literary performances were presented, including the opening song and dance "Lijiang River Greeting Song," the poetic drama "Lijiang River Elegant Gathering," the folk ballad "To Fellow Travelers," the classical dance "Elephant Trunk Hill and Water Moon" and the theme song "The Beauty of Literature." These musical numbers allowed the audience to experience the infinite charm of literature in various forms.
The event was broadcast live on multiple platforms, including the Lijiang River Publishing House's video, Guangxi TV's urban channel, Guangxi Cloud, iQiyi, and Weibo. Media reposts exceeded 25, and the total number of live views reached 3.8 million. The overall spread across new media platforms on the internet was over 17 million.
