Traditional Beijing quadrangle houses, terracotta warriors and horses, giant pandas, Tibet, the Taishan Mountains and Mao Zedong. If you have not been in China to explore these mysterious words, you can panoramically understand every region in China now through a new series of books.

The series, entitled Panoramic China, was published by the Foreign Languages press (FLP). Each volume features one province, municipality or autonomous region with pictures and illustrations. Each region has both Chinese and English versions, and some regions also have French, German and Russian versions.

All the Chinese and English versions are expected to be finished by 2006, but readerships can get a glimpse of the series' looks from the 11 volumes -- nine in Chinese and two in English -- which have come out.

The series breaks with the routine pattern of Chinese-published introduction books that usually show one region's geography, history, politics, economy and culture one by one, said Xiao Shiling, member of the series' experts panel and former deputy editor-in-chief with FLP.

"Under the demand of giving an overall panoramic view of each area, each book features the unique hallmarks of its subject region, avoiding reaching every aspect of matters," he said.

The book of Hainan, for instance, begins with two international activities held in the province. One is the Boao Forum that attracts politicians and business people from around the world and the other is the beauty contest that arrests global young people.

The book of Hunan, in contrast, features local celebrities in two-thirds’ space to show off the plentitude of talents in the province, including Mao Zedong, Qi Baishi, a master artist in traditional Chinese painting and Prof. Yuan Longping, the initiator of cultivation of Chinese hybrid rice.

This style also allows for individuality in every volume. Subject, style and space arrangement can differ from one another, while only the cover style, format and paper will be the same.

"We expect these individualities will facilitate reading in different areas," Xiao said.

In the book of Beijing, a photo of a sedan-chair raised by double donkeys is placed along with photos of an auto assembly line, auto models and auto ads. Such contrasts between old and new photos filling the book let readers appreciate the changes and development of society in a visual leap.

The book of Tibet is actually travel notes, introducing the mysterious snow land from a personal perspective.

Tony McGlinchey, general manager of Australia-based China Bookstore and foreign consultant for Panoramic China, said the individuality of each book impresses him most.

"In Australia, people consider beauty contests a shallow activity. But Hainan relates it to the Song sisters, showing the unique Chinese perspective and demonstrating both the outside and inside beauty of women, which makes the contest tasteful," he said.

Former Palestinian ambassador to China Moustapha Saphariny and ambassador of Mexico to China Pilar Jimenez expressed their welcome to the series from another angle.

"The Arab world is keen to understand fast developing China, but it does not want to do so through the Western media," Saphariny said. "China is increasing its influence in Mexico, and Mexicans hope Chinese people introducing China will ensure the information is direct," Jimenez said.

The series will help overseas readerships understand China and every region objectively and across the board, said Huang Youyi, deputy director-general of China Foreign languages Publishing & Distribution Administration.

Some books of the series, however, is short of essential details, McGlinchey said, adding that one book says a dog assisted ancient Yan emperor in finding Chinese herbal medicine but does not say how the dog found it; when introducing needle therapy, it does not explain how people find the point into which the doctors prick.

In addition, most books do not provide detailed information about food, accommodation and vehicles, he said.

Xiao Shiling acknowledged that the rest of volumes of the series still require further improvement in adapting to overseas readers.

(Xinhua News Agency July 14, 2005)