The Eighth Mao Dun Literature Prize winners were announced on Saturday afternoon, after five rounds of voting by 61 jury members including literary critics and writers.

You Are on the Highland by Zhang Wei topped the five winners. The other four are Sky Walker by Liu Xinglong, Frog by Mo Yan, Massage by Bi Feiyu, and A Sentence Is Worth Thousands by Liu Zhenyun.

Spanning 100 years, the 10-volume river novel You Are on the Highland recounts the vicissitudes experienced by four generations of a family in the country's political and social transformation.

It took Zhang 22 years to finally finish the magnum opus of 4.5 million words.

Sky Walker narrates the struggle and hope of citizen-managed teachers (teachers in rural schools who do not receive the normal remuneration from the government) in a mountain village school.

Mo Yan takes on the country's family-planning policy in Frog, through the life of a rural gynecologist based on his aunt.

Massage centers on the lives of a group of blind massage therapists.

Liu Zhenyun explores the theme of loneliness in a society sans religion in A Sentence Is Worth Thousands, with the story of a man's constant search for someone to talk to.

Jury member and literary critic Chen Xiaoming commented in a phone interview with China Daily that all five winners are great works by great writers in great times.

"The result shows respect for literature, and for writers for their devotion and perseverance," he said.

Established in 1982, the Mao Dun Literature Prize is one of the country's most prestigious literature prizes.

It is awarded every four years and is now administered by the Chinese Writers' Association.

China Daily