He has a command of Western literature rarely equaled by other Chinese writers. He was among the first to introduce Western avant-gardist writings and modernist writing techniques to China. His award-winning fiction also displays a visible Western writing influence, which obviously appealed to the Nobel judges. Third, Gao is now a French citizen who has resided in Western Europe since 1987. While his writings are not available in China, they have been translated into different foreign languages, widely circulated in the Western world and highly praised by some Western literary critics.
Literature is a language art.
The Chinese language uses a writing system that totally differs from alphabetic European languages. When Chinese writings are translated into European languages, much of their literary qualities become lost. Gao Xingjian's writing, however, loses very little in translation. Finally, the Nobel Prize Committee has long been accused of being Eurocentric and ignoring Chinese literature. In a word, all the deciding factors favored Gao Xingjian.