A Yale University delegation headed by Joseph Reed, vice secretary-general of the United Nations visited the China International Publishing Group (CIPG) in Beijing on September 17-18. The Chinese group is collaborating with Yale University on a long-term publishing project series entitled, Culture and Civilization of China. Reed is also a coordinating director of the project.

The Culture and Civilization of China series is a cooperative program between China and the United States. The monumental undertaking will result in 75 volumes on the cultural riches of Chinese civilization, covering everything from art and culture to literature and philosophy in China.

“The book series is a great project in cultural exchanges between China and the United States, and therefore of far reaching significance,” said Zhao Qizheng, minister of the State Council Information Office, while meeting with the delegation.

Cai Mingzhao, vice minister of the State Council Information Office and president of CIPG held talks with the delegation. Both sides reviewed the progress of the project over the past decade.

So far, two titles have already been published. One is Chinese Architecture, a comprehensive and highly-illustrated book about Chinese architecture from Neolithic times through to the early 20th century, which was published in 2002. The other is Three Thousand Years of Chinese Paintings published in 1997.

The two books have been gifts between the state leaders of the two countries and have aroused wide attention from political, cultural and diplomatic circles of the two countries.

During the talks, both sides had detailed discussions how to accelerate the progress of the project in the future. They agreed to set up a new cooperative mechanism, strengthen communications and coordination and to work out more practical publishing plans in order to ensure the smooth progress of this, the largest publishing project between the two countries.

Among the Yale University delegation were John Donatich, director of Yale University Press, Steven Robinson, counsel of Yale in Beijing and resident partner of Hogan & Hartson, Fawn Wang, assistant to President and Vice President of Yale University, and Cynthia Forbes from the New York Office of the CCC project.