Publishing in China
Encyclopedia
The Chinese
publishing industry has continued to grow. In 2004 China published 25.77 billion copies of national-level and provincial-level newspapers, 2.69 billion magazines, and 6.44 billion books.
, the Zhonghua Book Company, the DSX Book Company, and the main store of the Xinhua Bookstore
, China International Publishing Trade Corporation, and China Book Import and Export (Group) Corporation. The Group incorporates publishing and distribution of publications involving various media, chain stores, import and export, copyright trade, printing and copying, information service, technology development and financing. According to a national plan, by the end of 2005, China will have five to 10 publishing groups each with annual sales of between one and even 10 billion yuan; 10 to 20 periodicals with world-wide distribution and one or two periodical groups with annual sales of 300 to 500 million yuan.
Meanwhile, in accordance with China's undertakings to WTO
, the State Press and Publication Administration of China issued the Administrative Measures on Foreign-Invested Book, Newspaper and Periodical Distribution Enterprises in May 2003, allowing foreign investors to engage in book, newspaper and periodical retail
ing as of May 1, 2003, and wholesaling as of December 1, 2004. It also stipulates that foreign investors must have the approval of the State Press and Publication Administration to establish book, newspaper and periodical retailing and wholesaling enterprises. At present, more than 60 foreign-invested enterprises have set up agencies in mainland China, preparing to apply for or in the process of applying for investment in and the establishment of book, newspaper and periodical distribution enterprises.
Meanwhile, the periodical industry is developing at an amazing speed. In 1949, there were only 257 periodicals in China, with a total impression of 20 million, or less than 0.1 copy per capita. After the reform and opening-up, in 1979, the number of periodicals rose to 1,470, with a total of 1.184 billion copies, or 1 copy per capita. In 2004, there were more than 8,000 periodicals in China, with a total impression of 2.69 billion, or more than 2.1 copies per person.
Along with the speeding up of information industry
, the electronic publications market has already taken shape, with over 2,000 electronic publications coming out annually.
, French
, Spanish
, Arabic
, Japanese
, Esperanto
and Chinese
.
The four magazines are Beijing Review, China Today, China Pictorial, and People's China. It also has seven publishing houses, including Foreign Languages Press
and New World Press, publishing nearly 1,000 titles annually, covering a wide range of subjects in more than 20 foreign languages. The books are distributed to some 190 countries and regions, presenting China to all countries and promoting cultural exchange. The China International Book Trading Corporation, a member of the CIPG, distributes foreign-language books and periodicals to 80-odd countries and regions, and holds exhibition of Chinese books abroad.
drive, as well as China's views on issues of international concern.
technology to introduce the most authoritative and comprehensive information about China to people at home and abroad. Over 91 percent of its readership is overseas.
(GAPP), predicted the revenue of the digital publishing sector to exceed 75 billion yuan ($10.98 billion) in 2009. Digital publishing is emerging as a new economic growth point for the country's publishing industry. Industry revenue in 2008 hit 53 billion yuan, up 46 percent year-on-year, the administration's figures showed.
The digital publishing industry include the digitalization of traditional publishing products, such as newspapers, books and cell phone text messages, and new digital media. It is estimated a 30 percent annual growth in the number of digital publishing products users in the next few years with the growing popularity of digital technology. About 90 percent of China's 578 publishing houses have digital products. In a national survey of about 40 newspapers, 30 have their online edition and 22 have mobile newspapers sent via cell phone messages.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
publishing industry has continued to grow. In 2004 China published 25.77 billion copies of national-level and provincial-level newspapers, 2.69 billion magazines, and 6.44 billion books.
Overview
Since China began incorporation of its publishing industry in 2002, altogether 55 publishing groups have been set up. The largest, China Publishing Group (in ), established in April 2003, has under its umbrella 12 large enterprises and institutes including the Commercial PressCommercial Press
-History:In 1897, 26-year-old Xia Ruifang and three of his friends founded The Commercial Press in Shanghai. The group soon received financial backing and began publishing books. In 1914, Xia attempted to buy out a Japanese company that had invested in the Commercial Press. Four days later he was...
, the Zhonghua Book Company, the DSX Book Company, and the main store of the Xinhua Bookstore
Xinhua Bookstore
Xinhua Bookstore owns the largest and only country-wide bookstore chain in China.- History :Xinhua Bookstore was originally established as Guanghua Bookstore in 1937 in Yan'an under the Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of China...
, China International Publishing Trade Corporation, and China Book Import and Export (Group) Corporation. The Group incorporates publishing and distribution of publications involving various media, chain stores, import and export, copyright trade, printing and copying, information service, technology development and financing. According to a national plan, by the end of 2005, China will have five to 10 publishing groups each with annual sales of between one and even 10 billion yuan; 10 to 20 periodicals with world-wide distribution and one or two periodical groups with annual sales of 300 to 500 million yuan.
Meanwhile, in accordance with China's undertakings to WTO
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
, the State Press and Publication Administration of China issued the Administrative Measures on Foreign-Invested Book, Newspaper and Periodical Distribution Enterprises in May 2003, allowing foreign investors to engage in book, newspaper and periodical retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
ing as of May 1, 2003, and wholesaling as of December 1, 2004. It also stipulates that foreign investors must have the approval of the State Press and Publication Administration to establish book, newspaper and periodical retailing and wholesaling enterprises. At present, more than 60 foreign-invested enterprises have set up agencies in mainland China, preparing to apply for or in the process of applying for investment in and the establishment of book, newspaper and periodical distribution enterprises.
Books and Periodicals
Today, there are 568 publishing houses and 292 audio-video publishers in China. The state has also planned key book publication projects and established prizes for excellent books to promote the development of the publishing industry.Meanwhile, the periodical industry is developing at an amazing speed. In 1949, there were only 257 periodicals in China, with a total impression of 20 million, or less than 0.1 copy per capita. After the reform and opening-up, in 1979, the number of periodicals rose to 1,470, with a total of 1.184 billion copies, or 1 copy per capita. In 2004, there were more than 8,000 periodicals in China, with a total impression of 2.69 billion, or more than 2.1 copies per person.
Along with the speeding up of information industry
Information industry
The information industry or information industries are industries that are information intensive in one way or the other. It is considered one of the most important economic sectors for a variety of reasons....
, the electronic publications market has already taken shape, with over 2,000 electronic publications coming out annually.
Foreign-language Publishing
The China International Publishing Group (CIPG, in ) undertakes the publication, printing and distribution of foreign-language books and periodicals, playing a unique role in publishing, cultural exchange and cooperation. It consists of four print magazines and several websites in many languages including EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
and Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
.
The four magazines are Beijing Review, China Today, China Pictorial, and People's China. It also has seven publishing houses, including Foreign Languages Press
Foreign Languages Press
The name Foreign Languages Press was given to two publishing houses, respectively in the Soviet Union and in the People's Republic of China.-Moscow Foreign Languages Press:...
and New World Press, publishing nearly 1,000 titles annually, covering a wide range of subjects in more than 20 foreign languages. The books are distributed to some 190 countries and regions, presenting China to all countries and promoting cultural exchange. The China International Book Trading Corporation, a member of the CIPG, distributes foreign-language books and periodicals to 80-odd countries and regions, and holds exhibition of Chinese books abroad.
The Intercontinental Communications Center
This is a non-governmental international communications organization specializing in producing multi-language audio-video products (including films and television programs) and regular publications. Since it was founded in 1993, it has turned out several hundred hours of movies and television programs and about a hundred books every year, which reach well over 150 countries and regions across the world. These programs and books mainly introduce to the world China's society, culture, customs, reform and opening-up, and modernizationModernization
In the social sciences, modernization or modernisation refers to a model of an evolutionary transition from a 'pre-modern' or 'traditional' to a 'modern' society. The teleology of modernization is described in social evolutionism theories, existing as a template that has been generally followed by...
drive, as well as China's views on issues of international concern.
The China Internet Information Center
This center went into operation on January 1, 1997 utilizing InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
technology to introduce the most authoritative and comprehensive information about China to people at home and abroad. Over 91 percent of its readership is overseas.
Digital publishing
China's digital publishing industry is predicted to continue posting annual revenue growth rates of about 50 percent in the next few years. The General Administration of Press and PublicationGeneral Administration of Press and Publication
General Administration of Press and Publication is the administrative agency responsible for regulating and distribution news, print and Internet publications in China. This include granting publication licenses for periodicals and books...
(GAPP), predicted the revenue of the digital publishing sector to exceed 75 billion yuan ($10.98 billion) in 2009. Digital publishing is emerging as a new economic growth point for the country's publishing industry. Industry revenue in 2008 hit 53 billion yuan, up 46 percent year-on-year, the administration's figures showed.
The digital publishing industry include the digitalization of traditional publishing products, such as newspapers, books and cell phone text messages, and new digital media. It is estimated a 30 percent annual growth in the number of digital publishing products users in the next few years with the growing popularity of digital technology. About 90 percent of China's 578 publishing houses have digital products. In a national survey of about 40 newspapers, 30 have their online edition and 22 have mobile newspapers sent via cell phone messages.
External links
- China Internet Information Center
- China Publishing Group (in Chinese)
- China International Publishing Group (CIPG) (in Chinese and English)