Despite the prevalence of adult titles and themes in bookshelves across China, children’s books remain a dominant force in the country’s publishing industry. The rising demand in such literature has paved the way for children’s books to become key players in book fairs throughout China.
Over the course of three decades, publishing companies with specialization in children's literature have grown from a meager two to an impressive number of 546--a 10.2-percent increase, according to research institute Openbook.
Parents are among the primary forces driving the demand of children's books in bookstores nationwide.
"It's fortunate that parents and teachers are both working hard to advocate printed children's books," said Cao Wenxuan, a celebrated children's literature writer. Cao's most famous work was "Thatched Cottage," which has been reprinted for over 130 times in 10 years.
"While print is experiencing an overall decline, children's books defy this tendency," Cao added.
The second force that drives the growth of children's books in the country is the fact that the market is composed of approximately 370 million potential readers, making it one of the biggest markets in the world.
Despite its impressive growth, China's children's book sector remains smaller and passive compared to world-class publishers like Macmillan and Random House. The primary reason is that domestic publishers, instead of coming up with bright new ideas, merely follow trends in the children's book sector.
For example, bookstores in China are filled with books that feature crass behavior and shallow humor, which can be blamed on the cultivation of children's authors. Authors experiencing a writer's block also look toward foreign titles such as the "Harry Potter" series for inspiration, causing an influx in fantasy books with little variety.
"Books with simple-minded and trivial jokes will never become children's classics. I believe many people have started to realize this problem and are now constantly suggesting kids read some old-fashioned but classic works," said Cao.