He Xiangyang,deputy director of the China Writers' Association's Creation and Research Department. Six Moments in the Life of Ah Q Perhaps the greatest controversy that still surrounds Lu Xun, who became an icon early last century, is his character Ah Q. "Wang's work examines the context in which we can explore the fable from the 1911 revolution," He Xiangyang says.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Beijing Normal University recently announced it will offer the country's first sci-fi literature doctoral program next year.

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.