History

Novels have always enjoyed popularity in the history of Chinese literature and culture. In 2005, the Faculty of Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, received a generous sponsorship from Mr. Zhang Dapeng, President of Y. Cee Chemicals Ltd., to launch an award for the best novel written in Chinese. The Award is named after the best-known Chinese novel as “The Dream of the Red Chamber Award: The World’s Distinguished Novel in Chinese”. It is the first novel prize in Hong Kong awarded to writers in Chinese from around the world; it aims to encourage the publication of quality novels in Chinese.  

In 2008, Mr. Zhang donated HK$10 million to the Faculty of Arts to establish “The Dream of the Red Chamber Award: The World’s Distinguished Novel in Chinese––Zhang Dapeng Endowment Fund”, making the continuous running of the Award possible. The Dream of the Red Chamber Award runs once every two years. A panel of final jury is formed to select the best novel and the winning author receives a cash prize of HK$300,000.