CHINA’S prestigious Lu Xun Literature Prize has come under fire again after an award winner for poetry was accused of gaining the award through bribery.

    Yan An, vice chairperson of the Shaanxi Writers Association, is suspected of winning the award in exchange for giving antiques to Gao Hongbo, vice chairperson of the China Writers Association, according to an anonymous post released on the Internet recently.

    The post included a letter written from Gao to Yan, saying that Gao had returned the antiques, a bag of antique coins, to Yan.

    The post has drawn wide attention on the Internet, and many netizens and writers have expressed their opinions about the bribery incident in the Shaanxi literary circle.

    The China Writers Association posted an official response to the incident July 3, saying that they would investigate the case. The association also said that the selection process for the prizes was fair and responsible.

    Both Yan and Gao refused to be interviewed by Chinese media, but they defended themselves in an article posted on the China Writers Association’s website.

    “In the spring of last year, I went to Beijing on business and visited Gao. He wrote some critiques of my poetry collection, so I brought him some millet, green beans and antique coins to thank him,” Yan said in the article, “In return, Gao gave me two seals and one of his calligraphy pieces. On the night of the award ceremony, Gao gave me a bag. When I returned to my hotel, I found that he had returned my coins and left me a note.”

    Yan also said that he did not know how someone got hold of their personal letter, but he was willing to undergo an investigation.

    Gao also confirmed returning the coins to Yan. “There were many people at the ceremony that night, which made it inconvenient to return the gifts, so I wrote him a note,” Gao said. “We have been friends for years. He came to see me at my office and left me some local products. I saw the coins, but it was not polite for me to refuse him right away, so I gave him some gifts in exchange.”

    “I did not expect the letter to go public. Some reports said that I admitted to accepting briberies, but this is not true. I have never said anything like that,” Gao said.

    The Shaanxi Writers Association also said that they would investigate the case. “Yan said that the coins were not worth any money, but they have a very high value for calligraphy. He also apologized to Gao for causing such trouble,” the association said in its statement.

    Despite all the doubts raised by netizens, many writers thought the incident might just be a misunderstanding. “Gao has a very high reputation in the literary circle for his honesty,” an unidentified writer said. However, some also confirmed that it was inappropriate to give gifts to a judge right before the selection of the prize.

    A writer from Shaanxi Province, who also refused to be identified, described the incident as “a shame for all Shaanxi writers.” “Shaanxi has many great writers such as Lu Yao, Chen Zhongshi and Jia Pingwa. They write with their hearts and souls. However, the literary circle has changed over the past few years. There are writers who seek power and money. Everybody in the circle knows it, but nobody has said anything,” he said.

    According to some Chinese-language media outlets, this is not the first time Yan has faced questions and doubts.

    In early 2010, Yan became the executive editor of the literary magazine Yanhe River. One year later, he was accused of “seeking political power with money” in an anonymous letter. The accusation did not raise much attention at that time.

    Rumors also said that Yan refused to use old editors and hired some young staffers to run the magazine.

    “The magazine was known for its respectful spirit and high standards. We used to work hard to discover new writers. The only thing we used to look at was quality, not money or political backgrounds,” a senior editor at the magazine said. “However, since Yan became the chief editor, we hardly ever held editor meetings. He took charge of everything.”

    Over the past few years, there have been a growing number of doubts and questions of some top literary awards in China. Some experts think that these issues were not a coincidence. “There are too many non-literary factors at work in the selection of these awards. It is difficult to only judge a literary work based on its quality,” an expert said.

    The Ministry of Culture also decided to take action against these incidents. “The number of national literary awards will be reduced in the future, and more actions will be taken to improve the selection processes and prohibit illegal behavior,” said Zhu Di, head of the art department of the ministry.

    (Wang Yuanyuan)