First editions for a new era

Some 2,000 Chinese titles in Spanish, English and Chinese are greeting book lovers at the ongoing 15th Venezuela International Book Fair, being held in Caracas over Nov 7-17, yet another literary event where China appeared as the guest of honor country.

Among the guest of honor series of events, the 2009 Frankfurt Book Fair is remembered as a key moment. Since then, Chinese publishers have been important participants at the world's largest book gatherings.

A vast LED screen at this year's Frankfurt book event, held over Oct 16-20, grabbed visitors' attention with a 3D cartoon rendering of the 2,700-kilometer Great Canal between Beijing and Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, which was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.

On the 22-meter by 3-meter digital screen, historical scenes and stories were brought back to life through animation. By applying cutting-edge technology to streaming media and virtual imagery, 1,700 figures and 200 ships recounted around 2,500 years of history across 14 cities－including the story of Italian priest Matteo Ricci.

The Encyclopedia of China Publishing House named the project China Through Time, and will publish a book of the same name aimed at multilingual readers in March, working in collaboration with British publishing house DK.

Yang Zhen, the project planner from the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, says they took an innovative approach to present Chinese history through a combination of technology, culture and art all rolled into one, to create their own intellectual property content, which could be further adapted into animation or products of daily use.

And it was at the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Beijing International Book Fair－the world's second largest book fair－that Chinese publishers presented their new titles to appeal to global audiences, either through their storytelling, or through the wisdom and beliefs that China seeks to share with the world.

Here are some of the latest Chinese titles available in foreign languages to international readers, either new to the market or due for imminent release.

Works by and about Xi

The Foreign Languages Press released the English and German versions of Zhejiang, China: A New Vision for Development by President Xi Jinping at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

The book was first published in Chinese as Zhijiang Xinyu in 2007. A collection of 232 articles, it captures Xi's governing theories and thoughts published in a column in the Zhejiang Daily from 2003 to 2007 during his tenure as Party chief of Zhejiang province.

The book offers a window into the origins and development of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

Martin Albrow, a fellow of Britain's Academy of Social Sciences, said at the launch that the book demonstrates a depth of historical knowledge as well as a global perspective.

Earlier, the People's Publishing House joined five international publishers to release Narrating China's Governance: Stories in Xi Jinping's Speeches in five languages, including English (by Springer), Korean and Turkish.

Compiled by People's Daily, the book "gathers the stories included in Xi's speeches on various occasions, where they conveyed the essence of China's history and culture, its reform and development, and the principles of China's participation in global governance and cooperation with other countries to build a community of common destiny", according to the book jacket.

Further reading material and references were listed to offer more context to the stories.

The China Social Sciences Press had earlier signed agreements to translate and publish its new 12-volume series Learning Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era in English and multiple languages to offer comprehensive annotations highlighting the latest analysis of Xi Thought.

China-themed books

Together with representatives from German and Lebanese publishers, Ioana Mogosanu with the Romanian Corint Publishing Group witnessed the signing of a co-publishing deal for the China in Focus series with the Foreign Languages Press in Frankfurt.

Running A Big Country, The Source of China's Confidence, From Getting Rich to Getting Strong are among the first 10 titles to be published under the series, which is a new publishing project initiated by the Foreign Languages Press earlier this year.

"There is an important Romanian community which has shown great interest in Chinese culture and China's development," Mogosanu says. "We are very happy to bring the China in Focus series to Romanian readers, a set of works that cover China's politics, economy, society, culture and ecology. Each volume highlights a hot topic being faced by countries all over the world."

Interest in the series has been so strong that her group has decided to initiate a new project at this month's national book fair in Romania about a new collection entitled Discover China. This will include all their new titles aimed at sharing and promoting Chinese values, traditions and achievements among Romanian people, she says－of which the China in Focus series will form one part.

Every book in the series has been written in conjunction with top experts in their fields, including Wang Yiwei writing about the Belt and Road Initiative, Han Zhen on Chinese values, Chi Fulin on the reform and opening-up and Xie Chuntao on the Party's anti-corruption campaign.

The Foreign Languages Press encouraged the authors to adopt an approachable style to writing and present their ideas through stories, examples and facts.

French photographer Yann Layma has been showing China through color photography since the 1980s. Through his lens, he captures villages, cities, lovers, shops and street scenes. The warmth and liveliness of everyday scenes are his specialty.

Produced in tandem with its namesake documentary, Fall in Love with China, published by Zhejiang University Press, is a photo book featuring Chinese and English commentaries.

Britain's New Classic Press is set to publish an English version of the book, says Jestin Winslett. "With a focus on the real daily lives of the ordinary Chinese people, Layma documents the changes to people's living conditions, and presents their experiences and achievements in the new era.

"Through vivid photographs, the book unfolds, at times, the bumpy history of China, and presents its ongoing journey which will amaze and appeal to everyone," Winslett adds. "More importantly, it helps to convey the message that China's development has brought about new opportunities both to its people and to the outside world, providing a broader platform for us all."

Two books by university professors will be added to the list of books on the theories underpinning China's development. Originally published in Chinese by the Higher Education Press, Socialist Political Economy with Chinese Characteristics and The Outline History of Socialist Political Economy with Chinese Characteristics, will be published in English by Cengage－with the first book outlining the logic behind China's development, and the second detailing how the country got to where it is today.

Cultural classics

The ancient classics continue to appeal to the global market. It was announced at the Frankfurt Book Fair that Illustrated Classics of Chinese Literature: Dream of the Red Chamber by Sun Wen during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and featuring illustrations by a contemporary of Cao Xueqin's will be published as a limited edition in Chinese, English, French and Italian by the China Youth Publishing Group.

The publishers say a total of 6,000 copies have already been preordered worldwide, with a retail value of over 250 euros ($275).

A print and audio version of Sunzi: The Art of War has been recently released by the Foreign Languages Press featuring Chinese, English and pinyin translations of the ancient texts.

The Renmin University Press is co-publishing an English-language title focusing on Chinese characters. Titled China in 100 Chinese Characters, the book explores the origins and stories behind 100 key Chinese characters and is due to be published by McGraw-Hill.

Historia de la Ceramica China, a new Spanish release in two volumes, by Fang Lili, focuses on the history of Chinese ceramics and its role in world history.

Fang took 17 years to complete the book in Chinese, examining the technology, symbolism and social organization behind the pots, plates and heavy earthenware originating in China over the centuries.

Contemporary Chinese writing is another hot ticket item in global publishing. Yilin Press spent four years translating eight novels and promoting them in Turkey, by key Chinese authors including Yu Hua, Su Tong and Ye Zhaoyan.

Focusing instead on Chinese science fiction, the UK's Flame Tree Publishing has inked a cooperation deal with the People's Literature Publishing House, whereby the two publishers will set a theme, and contribute science fiction stories from writers from both countries, with the aim of publishing a collection in both Chinese and English for the two markets.

Science titles and textbooks

Oxford University Press will join with Chinese partners to publish two series of teaching materials, Chinese Language Teaching and Talk About China, which will cater to the growing demand of Chinese language learners who are English native speakers.

The Huazhong University of Science and Technology Press is working with Elsevier to render the first four of its nine-volume series on 3D printing technology into English, exploring the many achievements and new findings from key national laboratories. The press has already launched a global English-language version of Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Hepatitis by Ning Qin, an online and offline publication said to be the world's first systematic exploration of the acute exacerbation of the disease from a Chinese perspective.

Also adapted from a documentary, The Journey of Chinese Plants will be published in English by India's GBD Publishing, and will explore China's links with nature from ancient times to the present day through the stories of native Chinese plants and their spread across the globe.