Mo Yan to leave Beijing tomorrow for date with Nobel Prize glory

Novelist Mo Yan will leave Beijing tomorrow to receive the first Nobel Prize for literature awarded to a Chinese citizen.

Mo will attend the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, on Monday along with the other most recent Nobel laureates, according to Shao Chunsheng, an official in charge of broadcasting and publishing in Gaomi city, Shandong province, which is Mo's hometown.

Shao spoke to West China City Daily, adding that Mo's wife and daughter would join him.

The newspaper also reported that Mo has invited about 10 people, including three translators who translated his works into English, Spanish and Russian, as well as the president of Mo's publishing company, the Beijing Classic & Wise Culture Development Co.

Since it was announced in October that Mo won the prestigious award, some fashion-minded mainland internet users have debated what he should wear when he accepts it.

Some Photoshopped images of Mo in different suits have even been circulated. Shao said that Mo will take five suits to Stockholm, including a tailcoat and a traditional Chinese suit similar to those worn by Mao Zedong . In an online survey conducted by CCTV News, more than 60 per cent of respondents to a Sina microblog poll said Mo should wear a traditional Chinese suit, while only 2.5 per cent favoured the tailcoat.