“The Governance of China” has sold 5.36 million copies, with 400,000 copies sold overseas. (Photo : Reuters)
To replicate the success two Chinese bestsellers had in the international markets in 2015, Chinese publishers are looking into translating Chinese literature into more foreign languages, according to a report by China Daily.
In 2015, two Chinese works made the rounds in the international market: President Xi Jinping's "The Governance of China" and Liu Cixin's "The Three-Body Problem."
"The Governance of China" has sold a total of 5.36 million copies, with 400,000 copies sold overseas.
Meanwhile, the science fiction novel "The Three-Body Problem" was the key for writer Liu Cixin to bag the prestigious Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2015. This makes Liu the first Asian writer to win the award.
Chinese publishers are thinking of releasing more Chinese works that aim to promote Chinese policy and language to foreign markets.
The Promotion Center at Foreign Language Press, which published "The Governance of China," is currently planning to publish a book that examines Xi's language and the Chinese Dream, according to Liu Yuhong, the company's director.
This might satisfy a niche market, as overseas readers, particularly English-language speakers, are apparently interested in learning about Xi's new policies and way of governance, said Huo Xingchen, director of international cooperation at Central Compilation and Translation Press.
Huo's company is currently publishing extracts of some of Xi's essays about the significance of tackling corruption and promoting the rule of law.
Meanwhile, the China Publishing Group Corp. launched a cloud computing service at the New Delhi World Book Fair last Jan. 10. The service aims to promote the translation of Chinese works into other languages.
"We are focusing on books that either explain how China's recent developments have been achieved, or ones that reinterpret traditional culture," said Li Yan from the China Publishing Group Corp.
Foreign Language Press is also planning to publish several foreign language versions of "authoritative interpretations" of policy development and other topics related to Chinese governance and economic and social reform.
