Wenjin winners announced

'Dream of the Red Chamber' judged 'Best Asian novel'

"Apart from these very visible books (like those by Mo Yan), I really would like some that haven't received the attention of the world," Castro says. "I'm sure there are very many talented authors in China. But we need to hear about them in a way that allows readers to make considered judgments."

He would like to see "a really rigorous journal devoted to such reviews of contemporary Chinese literature in English".

Mackerras thinks the list reflects a lack of appreciation of the Chinese approach to contemporary fiction.

"The kind of people who will read The Telegraph have an inbuilt assumption that it is a major function of a contemporary novel to criticize contemporary society and the politics of the day. They think Chinese novels do that much less than, say, Indian ones," Mackerras says.

But he believes awareness is improving.

"If I compare knowledge and appreciation of Chinese culture in the world now with what it was 50, 30, 20, or even 10 years ago, the situation is much better now," Mackerras says.

Gray says that all of the novels listed have sound English versions; some are even originally written in English by Asian writers. More people in the West are becoming interested in Chinese culture, he says, and Chinese movies and modern novels now receive a lot of attention.

In the meantime, the Chinese government is helping publishers and writers promote Chinese writing abroad, and good translations are more important than ever.

Castro says he read Mo Yan's Sandalwood Deaths and enjoyed it, "because the translation was very good".

But he also acknowledges that "what gets translated is often a lottery".