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Becoming Bunun by Kan Yao-ming wins Dream of the Red Chamber Award

3 Aug 2022

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Becoming Bunun by Mr Kan Yao-ming wins the first prize of the 9th Dream of the Red Chamber Award.

 

The first prize of the 9th Dream of the Red Chamber Award goes to Becoming Bunun, which was written by the Taiwanese novelist Mr Kan Yao-ming. The award presentation ceremony will be held in October this year.

The Dream of the Red Chamber Award is held biennially by the Faculty of Arts at HKBU. Sponsored by Mr Zhang Dapeng, President of Y. Cee Chemicals Limited, the Award aims to encourage the publication of excellent Chinese novels, recognise outstanding Chinese novels by writers from around the world, and enhance the standard, quality, and global reputation of Chinese novel writing.

Members of the Award’s judging panel praise Becoming Bunun, which is about the growth of a Bunun youngster after experiencing hardships and sufferings, that while the story is based on a plane crash on Taiwan’s Sancha Mountain, the incident does not overshadow the story’s focus. The author demonstrates brilliant narrative skills by vividly integrating historical materials into the fictitious characters and plot.

Professor Chung Ling, Emeritus Professor of HKBU’s Faculty of Arts and Chairman of the judging panel, says: “Becoming Bunun presents an extraordinary story, convergence of ethnic diversity, and it has an abstruse and mysterious nature. The work demonstrates superior novel writing skills, an overwhelming romantic atmosphere, and the use of poetic language.”

Born in Taiwan, Mr Kan is a globally recognised author whose works are held in high esteem. His winning work Becoming Bunun has received numerous literary awards since its publication last year. He has also written a number of other award-winning novels, including Mysterious Train, The School of Water-ghosts and the Otter Who Lost His Mother, Killing Ghosts, Story of a Funeral, The Girl and the Woodcutter, The Summer General Winter Came, and a series of educational books co-authored with Li Chong-jian. Mr Kan’s works have won Taipei International Book Exhibition Book Prizes, the Golden Book Award (novel category) of the Taiwan Literature Awards, the Golden Tripod Awards and the Jury Award of HKBU’s Dream of the Red Chamber Award. His works have also been selected as one of the top ten books of the year by Openbook and the ten most influential books by the Kingstone Bookstore.

The judging panel also selected Posthuman Comedy by Dung Kai-cheung, Zero Point Beijing by Chan Koon-chung and A Chinese Story by Yan Lianke for the presentation of the Jury Award. Heart Sutra by Yan Lianke and Dawn of Formosa by Chen Yaochang were selected as the recipients of the Highly Recommended Award.