National library releases new editions of Chinese classic books

BEIJING -- The National Library of China has released the second batch of Chinese classic books, the latest fruit of its project to offer more reader-friendly editions of the classic canons and literature.

The five newly-published books include classic works of traditional Chinese intellectual schools such as Confucianism, Mohism and Legalism, with annotations by scholars and experts from top Chinese universities.

More than 500 scholars across China have been involved in the project, participating in tasks including catalog building, editing, annotating and designing.

The project represents the efforts of Chinese academia to re-evaluate and inherit the fine traditional culture of China, said Yuan Xingpei, head of the compiling project commission.

In 2016, the compilation project was initiated to build a catalog of books that could manifest the diversity and history of traditional Chinese culture, with the first batch of 10 books, including classic works of Confucianism and Taoism, published in 2017.