Showcasing Chinese Books to the World
The China National Publications Import & Export (Shanghai) Corporation was founded in 1985 in Shanghai and serves the Yangtze River Delta Region. A member of the China Publishing Group, it is the Shanghai branch of China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Corporation (CNPIEC). CNPIEC Shanghai branch is mainly responsible for the import and export businesses producing cultural information products such as books, newspapers, audio and video products, documents and electronic publications. In addition, it is involved in editing and publishing, book and periodical printing, logistics and delivery, information technology, advertisement and planning, as well delivering exhibitions at home and abroad.
CNPIEC Shanghai branch imports over 40,000 kinds of original books and documents from overseas, more than 5,000 original textbooks and over 200 databases, with several hundred thousand books and textbooks sold every year. The company is also in the process of building one of the largest publication export platforms in China and exports cultural products including books, periodicals, microfilms, video and audio products as well as stationery and gifts. Its customers include overseas retailers, wholesalers and professional institutes in Asia, Australia, Europe and America.
In 2017, CNPIEC Shanghai branch began working with the largest Confucius Institute in New Zealand—the Confucius Institute of the University of Auckland. The book fair at the Auckland Lantern Festival in 2017 lasted for three days and exhibited a series of Chinese books related to traditional Chinese festivals and cultural customs, and was extremely well received.
Picture: book fair at the Auckland Lantern Festival
CNPIEC Shanghai branch has built strong relations with the University of Auckland Library over a number of years, enabling students from this university to engage with China and its culture through this educational platform. According to the Library’s Chinese purchasing manager, the University of Auckland Library ordered over 200 kinds of Longyuan journals and over 1,000 academic papers from CNKI (the China National Knowledge Infrastructure). In the period up to 2017, the company increased its demands for periodicals to over 250 kinds and more than 2,000 academic theses. In addition, the Library has shown great interest in CNPeReading, a digital resource trade and service platform produced by CNPIEC. As a result, demand is growing for more high-quality Chinese digital databases in order to better meet the reading requirements of Chinese readers.
In recent years, CNPIEC Shanghai branch has delivered both economic and social benefits by taking part in Chinese book fairs in Australia, New Zealand and engaging in activities related to these. In so doing, the company has expanded its primary channels for book publishing overseas and received recognition from overseas readers regarding the high-quality of Chinese publications. This success paves the way for the “going global” of Chinese publications in coming years.