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The year in books

By Xing Yi ( China Daily ) Updated: 2014-12-10 07:59:33

A 3-D book catches visitors' attention at the Beijing International Book Fair. [Photo by Zou Hong / China Daily]

Chinese literature is winning more international attention.

More than half the 4,000 agreements signed at the Beijing International Book Affair－the country's biggest copyright-trading event－in August were to export Chinese books. The total number of deals represents a 18.5 percent increase over last year.

Since 2014 marks the centenary of WWI and the 120th anniversary of the first Sino-Japanese War, known as the Jiawu War in China, many works this year reflect upon these conflicts.

Most examine history through new perspectives.

Paris Peace Conference and China's Diplomacy by Tang Qihua evaluates China's diplomatic failures. The fall of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) is examined through comparisons between Chinese and Japanese warships while other books archive Western media reports of the Jiawu War.

Chinese novelist Yan Lianke won the Franz Kafka Prize in Prague.

But it was a tough year for domestic awards. Some promising works didn't receive any votes for the Lu Xun Literary Prize, calling the criteria into question. And due to a funding shortage, Lao She Literary Award winners took home trophies but no prize money.