Mo Yan has become an idol for Chinese people overnight. However, the fiercest criticism he faces also comes from Chinese, including exiled dissidents such as Wei Jingsheng and Yu Jie, as well as well-known maverick Ai Weiwei. Surprisingly, the mainstream Western media this time basically held similar views as the Swedish Academy, acknowledging Mo's achievements in literature.
The attacks from Chinese dissidents mainly focused on Mo being a man "within the system" - he is a communist, and said to be cooperative toward the current political system in China. These dissidents apparently care about the Nobel Prize more than anyone else. They believe only a person who meets their approval deserves this accolade.
This seemed true in the past. However, this time the Nobel Prize in Literature demonstrates a shifting attitude toward China: Political bigotry has been shrinking.
Although great uncertainty remains about the future, the Nobel Committee has been becoming realistic about the situation.
As China continues to grow and develop, more relaxation toward China will be seen across the Western world. The mainstream Chinese society did not choose to be hostile to the West. Similarly, the prevailing attitude toward China will not be hostile, but a mixture of conservative and realistic views.
These overseas dissidents are a sorry handful. They feel uncomfortable that a "normal" Chinese writer has won a Nobel Prize, and perhaps they have nothing else to choose with which to confront the existing Chinese system.
Mo is a good example of many writers rooted in Chinese society. Many of his works are critical about social evils in the country but he has not gone to extremes. Most Chinese intellectuals are like Mo. They are the major force pushing China's reform and social progress, and do not care much about how the West views them.
On the contrary, Chinese dissidents pay more attention to outside opinions. They refuse to accept the complexity of China's relations with the world, preferring knee-jerk reactions.
They felt betrayed after Mo won the prize but more such "betrayals" will occur in the future.
Of course, the West will not change its attitude toward China overnight. There will be more twists and turns between China and the West.
China will have a clear stance in different cases. For example, China welcomes the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Literature to Mo but this does not contradict its opposition to the Nobel Peace Prize given to Liu Xiaobo two years ago.
We hope Mo can look beyond factional differences that are splitting the country at the moment and contribute to the unity and progress of Chinese society.
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