"We hope the winners will follow in the footsteps of Wang Zengqi and tell stories about Chinese tradition and cultural spirit," Wang says.

To him, the works offer a slice of contemporary Chinese writing. They talk about reality, reveal people's struggles under the pressures of modern life and depict the ordinary yet vivid daily lives of Chinese people.

"They are about the creative transformation of Chinese culture, set against the backdrop of accelerating social development," he adds.

More critics noticed the recurring theme of social reality in the novels published throughout the year.

Four out of five of the winning novels explored the motif of reality observed from a different perspective, critic Bai Ye says at a forum arranged by Selected Novels magazine in November. "This interest from the writers echoes what was highlighted by the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on culture.