Yearender: Top 10 cultural events in 2014

No.5  Endless disputes towards literary awards

The Li Yao Literature Prize 2014 was released on Dec 3 and the 57-year-old writer Yan Zhen won for his new work, Huo Zhe Zhi Shang (Beyond Survival). The news immediately caused a public outrage because the work was only issued two weeks earlier and its books hadn't been published by then. Therefore the award became questionable.

Looking back to 2014, disputes were endless concerning various literary awards: The Lu Xun Literature Prize became controversial because of suspected corruption. The Lao She Literature Prize was nearly cancelled because of technical flaws.The establishment of the Lu Yao Literature Prize was protested by the writer's daughter and relatives.Experts say that the disputes regarding literary awards reflect the public trust crisis towards so-called "professionals" in the corresponding areas.

Experts discuss the finalists for the Li Yao Literature Prize [Photo/Xinhua]