Published : 2025-12-06
On December 6, 1982, the results of China's first Mao Dun Literature Prize (茅盾文學獎) were announced.
The Mao Dun Literature Prize is organised by the China Writers Association and was established in accordance with the wishes of the renowned modern writer Mao Dun (茅盾).
Knowing that he was terminally ill, Mao Dun donated 250,000 RMB of his royalties in 1981 to establish the literary award in order to encourage the creation of outstanding contemporary long novels.
The Mao Dun Literature Prize is the first literary award in China named after an individual and remains one of the highest honours in Chinese literature today.
The first Mao Dun Literature Prize was awarded to six recipients: Xu Mao and His Daughters (《許茂和他的女兒們》) by Zhou Keqin (周克芹), The East (《東方》) by Wei Wei (魏巍) , Li Zicheng Volume 2 (《李自成》第二卷) by Yao Xueyin (姚雪垠), The General's Chant (《將軍吟》) by Mo Yingfeng (莫應豐), Spring in Winter (《冬天裏的春天》) by Li Guowen (李國文), and Furong Town (《芙蓉鎮》) by Gu Hua (古華), totalling six long novels.
