CAI DONG, a teacher from Shenzhen Polytechnic’s Faculty of Arts, was a finalist at the Yu Dafu’s Novel Prize, becoming the only author in Guangdong Province to have been nominated at the top Chinese fiction awards this year, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported. The Yu Dafu’s Novel Prize, named after one of the most renowned authors in modern China, holds a competition every two years and awards the best novels in the Chinese language from all around the world with great influence. Each competition selects one of the best medium-length novels and one short story, along with three finalists for each kind of novel. The judging panel this year comprised famous authors from China, namely, Ma Yuan, Li Jingze, Su Wei, Ah Lai, Zhang Kangkang, Shi Zhanjun, Yuan Min and Cheng Yongxin. The story Cai was nominated for has been published in several key literary magazines in China. In 2016, the author won the most promising writer award at another major Chinese literature competition. According to the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily report, Shenzhen Polytechnic has prioritized the cultivation of young teachers and provides a favorable environment for Cai to work on her writing. The teacher is now leading a literature research center at the university. (Zhang Qian) |