A Hundred Years, A Hundred Varieties -- Under the Roofs of Shanghai

Author: Xia Yan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-07-01
Features: It was a grand event in the Chinese literary and publishing circles of 1999 to select "100 Outstanding Chinese Literary Books of the Century." The initiators and organizers of the selection were the People's Literature Publishing House and Beijing Book Building. The initiative was highly timely and ambitious. The selection process was entirely transparent, eliminating any room for behind-the-scenes manipulation. Multiple rounds of voting were monitored by journalists, and the procedures were meticulous and impeccable. The composition of the evaluation committee adhered to principles of academic authority, broad representation, and diversity, achieving a harmonious yet varied consensus. The selection criteria primarily focused on healthy ideas and emotions, prominent artistic features, while also considering the pioneering value, representative status, and influence of the works. The judges adopted a historical, evolutionary, and holistic perspective to grasp the landscape of Chinese literature in the 20th century, carefully reviewing the vicissitudes of Chinese society over a century and rereading the masterpieces of Chinese literature. With both reason and passion, they polished a series of literary landmarks. The 100 outstanding book selections spanned from the beginning of the century to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, covering all important historical periods of the past century. They were judicious, rich, comprehensive, systematic, and credible, gaining widespread recognition and earning the title of "A Century of Chinese Literature Feast."