Ordinary World (Chinese: 平凡的世界; pinyin: Píng Fán de Shì Jiè) is a novel by Chinese author Lu Yao. It consists of three volumes with a total of 1.1 million Chinese characters. In 1991, it won the Mao Dun Literature Prize and was honored with the title "a bright pearl of the Mao Dun Literature Prize crown".
Lu Yao (Chinese: 路遥; 1949–1992), born Wang Weiguo (Chinese: 王卫国), was a Chinese writer. He was born on 3 December 1949 in Qingjian County, Shaanxi Province, and died on 17 November 1992. He had six siblings and grew up in a very poor family. He began writing novels when he was a college student, and graduated from Chinese Department of Yanan University in 1973. After graduation, he became an editor of Yanhe magazine. In 1982, Lu Yao published his novella "Life", which was made into a film in 1984. It was at this time that he started to become well-known across China. In 1991, Lu Yao finished his most famous work, Ordinary World, which won the Mao Dun Literature Prize. His writing was closely related to his own life and experiences, and focused mostly on young people from his native Shanbei striving to change their lives.
In a survey conducted during 2003－04 in seven universities in China, the novel was considered one of the most influential books.