Chinese children's fiction writer Cao Wenxuan has won the Hans Christian Andersen Prize at the Bologna Children's Book Fair in Italy. He is the first Chinese writer to ever win the title, which is given to an author and an illustrator of children's books.

Chinese writer Cao Wenxuan poses with his works at the Bologna Children's Book Fair in Bologna, Italy, on April 4, 2016. Chinese children's fiction writer Cao Wenxuan on Monday won the Hans Christian Andersen Prize 2016 at the Bologna Children's Book Fair in Italy. (Xinhua/Song Jian)

The jury said Cao was the unanimous choice for the prize, for writing beautifully about the complex lives of children facing great challenges. Born in 1954 in Yancheng, in east China's Jiangsu Province, Cao spent his childhood in poverty. He is now a Chinese literature professor at Peking University. Cao said it is the thriving Chinese modern society that gives him inspiration to create.

"China's real society supplies me with so many vivid and unique stories, which would be very fresh to children of other countries," Cao said.

"I think Mr Cao winning the title will inspire China's publishing sector. It will encourage us to improve Chinese children's fiction. In addition, I think there should be more positive energy for the development of Chinese children's fiction," Li Yan, vice president of China Publishing Group Corp., said.