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.?
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Since 2002 when China began incorporation of its publishing
industry, altogether 55 publishing groups have been set up. The
largest, China Publishing Group, established in April 2003, has
under its umbrella 12 large enterprises and institutes including
the Commercial Press, 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 retailing 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 China mainland, 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, 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) 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 English, French,
Spanish, Arabic, Japanese, 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.
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 basic conditions, culture, customs, reform and
opening-up, and modernization 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
Internet technology to introduce the most authoritative and
comprehensive information about China to people at home and abroad.
Over 90 percent of its readership is overseas.
