Death of a literature award

The awarding of the fifth Lu Xun Literature Award to Che Yangao for his "lamb-style" poems in a way marks the death of the award. Of late, the announcement of award winners' names has triggered heated debates on their integrity and quality of their work, says an article on www.southcn.com. Excerpts:

In 2007, the media reported that the four litterateurs appointed to judge the Lu Xun Literature Award winners became the ultimate winners themselves. This is unique in the world of literature.

When questioned, the Chinese Writers' Association (CWA), which gives out the award, insisted the entire process of choosing the winners was clean. It retorted that "if you think that someone has bought the award, show evidence to prove the charge".