Beijing, January 8 (China Daily) -- On January 8, the award ceremony of the first Wenjing Historical Writing Award was held in Beijing. Zhou Sicheng and Wang Yuanchong won the first prize for "The Three Capitals" and "The Encounter Between China and the United States" respectively.
First prize winner Zhou Sicheng delivered an acceptance speech. (Courtesy of the organizer)
First prize winner Wang Yuanchong delivered a speech via remote connection. (Courtesy of the organizer)
Wen Zeyuan, Secretary of the Party Committee and President of the Shanghai People's Publishing House, said in his opening speech: "How can this important and precious skill of history become more beautiful and more open to the public? How can this group of outstanding and extraordinary 'craftsmen' of history writers acquire more exquisite skills and further enter the public eye? This is the question that the Wenjing Historical Writing Awards is trying to explore. ”
The first Wenjing Historical Writing Award was officially launched on September 17, 2021, the collection closed on October 17, and the top ten works were announced on December 7. In the end, the two first prize works were discussed and selected by the five final judges.
Liu Beicheng spoke on behalf of the judges and shared the selection process in the past few months, "Whether it is the primary selection or the final selection, we feel that the judges have different opinions on specific works, but there is a general consensus on the selection criteria. After the top ten works were produced, the richness of their themes and genres also surprised our judges. This is not our presupposition, but it is a reflection of our academic ecology, which is gratifying. ”
The two works that won the first prize were unanimously praised by the judges. Among them, "Sino-US Encounter" examines the collision of History, Culture and Concepts between China and the United States with a long-term perspective, and the jury recommends, "Wang Yuanchong's teaching experience optimizes public writing, transcends traditional brushwork with a historical narrative that is eloquent, and responds to major issues with rich details that were rare before, and the language is clear and complete." ”
Although the theme of "The Three Capitals of Kui" is not new, it focuses on the Battle of Jinmeng, which is not familiar even in the historical circles. According to the jury, "Between the grasp of the overall situation and the depth of detail, between the quiet sense of history and the heavy compassion of life, Zhou Sicheng found a rather epic balance." ”
Zhou Sicheng expressed his gratitude to Wenjing for creating such a platform to encourage public-oriented historical writing, and took the opportunity to pay tribute to Professor Shi Jingqian, a predecessor of historiography who recently passed away: "Shi Jingqian's historical writing, or such a type of historical writing, constantly reminds me of what I like history for. Obviously not because of abstract principles, not because of profound terminology, I chose history as my cause, but because of the ancestors who lived on this planet, the achievements they have made, what they think, their pain and happiness. This is what moved me the most when I face history. ”
Although Wang Yuanchong, the author of "Sino-AMERICAN Encounter", could not be present, he still expressed his feelings about the award through the on-site connection, "I am very grateful for this activity organized by Century Wenjing, and I think this is a very positive promotion for promoting humanistic writing in the current Chinese society, especially historical writing." I am very happy that my book can contribute a little bit to this goal, to this magnificent cause. ”
At the ceremony, the final judges also presented commemorative medals to the top ten authors, and some of the authors delivered keynote speeches and conducted thematic dialogues.