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A cursory glance at Dangdang.com’s recently published list of the top 10 best- selling children’s books in China in 2014 reveals one salient and perhaps sobering fact： Of the 10 titles on the list compiled by China’s premium bookselling website， only two were originally written in Chinese.
The Magic School Bus by American authors Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen and The Adventures of Tintin by Belgian cartoonist Hergé （real name Georges Remi， 1907-83） came in at first and second places respectively. The two original Chinese-language entries were authored by Taiwan-based scholar Wei-Ping Chen and Chinese American writer Liu yong.
So why the dearth of authors from the Chinese mainland on the list？ What is it about the work of domestic children’s writers that has so failed to capture the imagination of the country’s youth？ It has been argued by some that the underrepresentation of Chineselanguage originals on the list can be attributed to the contention that foreign children’s books are possessed of a richer imagination and are generally regarded as more interesting and appealing than their Chinese counterparts.
“Many Western publishing houses engaged in the publishing of children’s titles have histories stretching back more than 100 years， which has enabled them to accumulate a wealth of experience in the area，” said yu xiaoqun， President of Dolphin Books， a Beijing-based publishing house specializing in children’s books.
“In China， conversely， it’s hard to find a children’s publisher of an equivalent vintage as the development of many such companies has been interrupted by wars and political movements，” yu said. China’s modern history is fraught with turbulence， ranging from wars against invading powers from 1840 onward to political turmoil in the 1960s and 1970s， instability that has undoubtedly taken a toll on its publishing industry.
Although foreign children’s books are popular in China， yu said the country boasts its own excellent children’s authors.
yu is particularly interested in children’s books written during the period of the Republic of China （1912-49）， which he regards as being of an exceptionally high quality. Ever since joining Dolphin Books as president in 2009， yu has been devoted to ensuring these books can enjoy a renaissance in their country of origin.
“I was struck by the sheer quality of the textbooks compiled back then，” said yu.
What children want
After studying several books on the history of Chinese children’s literature， yu found that this sector of the publishing industry experienced a boom in the almost 40 years following 1912. A large number of reputedly excellent works were published by the Commercial Press， the Zhonghua Book Co.， and several other publishing houses no longer in existence. All these presses were based in Shanghai， which in those days acted as China’s cultural hub. yu started by looking for the version of the Children’s Library book series published by the Commercial Press in 1934， regarded as the earliest picture books for children in China. This collection originally contained 200 titles； however， locating all of them proved in no way to be child’s play.
yu’s team first discovered several titles in this collection at online secondhand bookstores and purchased them. However， the pages of some of these books turned out to be damaged or torn.
“In the past， it was not permitted to stock children’s books in public libraries， which was one of the reasons why many of these books were lost or failed to survive intact to the present day，” said yu.
Finally， with the help of the Shanghai Library and the Commercial Press Ltd. in Taiwan —one of the successors to the Shanghai-based publishing house—that republished the collection in the 1960s， yu was able to secure 184 of the original collection’s 200 works and to publish them in four volumes.
The Children’s Library series uses pictures and simple language to tell stories or convey knowledge about nature and society. For example， it includes one chapter which discusses the issue of how to be a good student.
Once the first volume， consisting of 10 books， was put on sale on the e-commerce platform JD.com in 2011， the initial run of 10，000 copies were sold out within less than a month. Another 10，000 copies were printed afterward.
“The commercial success bolstered our confidence. We continued to search for children’s books of that period and have since found more and more good stuff，” said yu.
After the Children’s Library series， yu went on to republish the Primary School Students’Library line， which was also originally published by the Commercial Press in 1934. This collection originally comprised a total of 500 titles in 45 subject areas encompassing social science， politics， economics， fairy tales， mythology， poetry and drama. yu selected 394 works from 42 areas and compressed them into 164 books.
“I read the collection in my primary school library in the 1930s. I was enamored with the fairy tales， while the books titled Water， Light， and Sound instructed me about basic scientific knowledge. These books have benefited me a lot，” said Jiang Feng， an 89-year-old former professor with Zhejiang Normal University and editor of the newly published Primary School Students’ Library series.
“Many books written during the period has been republished since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. However， until relatively recently， books tailored to children from the same period have received inadequate attention，” said yu. Children’s books during that period taught kids how to get along with people using principles espoused by Confucianism and how to attain a balanced relationship between humankind and nature.
“Many parents today want their children to read these books in order to learn how to be a good person，” said yu.
“Books written for children during the Republic of China period taught kids morals and ethics and helped them establish a positive value system，” said Pu Huaqing， a writer of children’s literature. “From this perspective， these books will never be out of date.”
yu pointed out that those who wrote children’s books during that period were predominantly renowned writers or scholars， a situation which would be unimaginable today. He cited the example of Feng Zikai （1898-1975）， a renowned cartoonist， essayist and translator who drew illustrations for many picture books and textbooks of that period.
“Feng applied the way children think to his paintings and writings. No matter whether he was painting or writing essays， he would ask himself whether he was thinking like a child，” yu told Beijing Review.
Works of value
yu believes it is vitally important to ensure children’s books carry the right messages， as his intended audience is as yet too immature to tell right from wrong. A nihilistic view of life and the questionable conceptions inherent in some works may exert a negative influence upon children， one which could potentially last for the remainder of their lives.
In addition to republishing old books， Dolphin Books has embraced contemporary works such as Taiwan-based illustrator and writer Jimmy Liao’s picture books.
“Liao’s picture book My Little Perfect World tells children that it’s impossible for one to be perfect and normal for a kid to be imperfect. It teaches kids how to face difficulties and defeat in life and be optimistic，” said yu.
Now the author’s picture book series has become one of the imprint’s flagship lines.
“The key to boosting the development of children’s books in China is to cultivate reliable brand identities with regard to both publishing lines and publishing houses and to spread a positive message，” said yu.
The Magic School Bus by American authors Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen and The Adventures of Tintin by Belgian cartoonist Hergé （real name Georges Remi， 1907-83） came in at first and second places respectively. The two original Chinese-language entries were authored by Taiwan-based scholar Wei-Ping Chen and Chinese American writer Liu yong.
So why the dearth of authors from the Chinese mainland on the list？ What is it about the work of domestic children’s writers that has so failed to capture the imagination of the country’s youth？ It has been argued by some that the underrepresentation of Chineselanguage originals on the list can be attributed to the contention that foreign children’s books are possessed of a richer imagination and are generally regarded as more interesting and appealing than their Chinese counterparts.
“Many Western publishing houses engaged in the publishing of children’s titles have histories stretching back more than 100 years， which has enabled them to accumulate a wealth of experience in the area，” said yu xiaoqun， President of Dolphin Books， a Beijing-based publishing house specializing in children’s books.
“In China， conversely， it’s hard to find a children’s publisher of an equivalent vintage as the development of many such companies has been interrupted by wars and political movements，” yu said. China’s modern history is fraught with turbulence， ranging from wars against invading powers from 1840 onward to political turmoil in the 1960s and 1970s， instability that has undoubtedly taken a toll on its publishing industry.
Although foreign children’s books are popular in China， yu said the country boasts its own excellent children’s authors.
yu is particularly interested in children’s books written during the period of the Republic of China （1912-49）， which he regards as being of an exceptionally high quality. Ever since joining Dolphin Books as president in 2009， yu has been devoted to ensuring these books can enjoy a renaissance in their country of origin.
“I was struck by the sheer quality of the textbooks compiled back then，” said yu.
What children want
After studying several books on the history of Chinese children’s literature， yu found that this sector of the publishing industry experienced a boom in the almost 40 years following 1912. A large number of reputedly excellent works were published by the Commercial Press， the Zhonghua Book Co.， and several other publishing houses no longer in existence. All these presses were based in Shanghai， which in those days acted as China’s cultural hub. yu started by looking for the version of the Children’s Library book series published by the Commercial Press in 1934， regarded as the earliest picture books for children in China. This collection originally contained 200 titles； however， locating all of them proved in no way to be child’s play.
yu’s team first discovered several titles in this collection at online secondhand bookstores and purchased them. However， the pages of some of these books turned out to be damaged or torn.
“In the past， it was not permitted to stock children’s books in public libraries， which was one of the reasons why many of these books were lost or failed to survive intact to the present day，” said yu.
Finally， with the help of the Shanghai Library and the Commercial Press Ltd. in Taiwan —one of the successors to the Shanghai-based publishing house—that republished the collection in the 1960s， yu was able to secure 184 of the original collection’s 200 works and to publish them in four volumes.
The Children’s Library series uses pictures and simple language to tell stories or convey knowledge about nature and society. For example， it includes one chapter which discusses the issue of how to be a good student.
Once the first volume， consisting of 10 books， was put on sale on the e-commerce platform JD.com in 2011， the initial run of 10，000 copies were sold out within less than a month. Another 10，000 copies were printed afterward.
“The commercial success bolstered our confidence. We continued to search for children’s books of that period and have since found more and more good stuff，” said yu.
After the Children’s Library series， yu went on to republish the Primary School Students’Library line， which was also originally published by the Commercial Press in 1934. This collection originally comprised a total of 500 titles in 45 subject areas encompassing social science， politics， economics， fairy tales， mythology， poetry and drama. yu selected 394 works from 42 areas and compressed them into 164 books.
“I read the collection in my primary school library in the 1930s. I was enamored with the fairy tales， while the books titled Water， Light， and Sound instructed me about basic scientific knowledge. These books have benefited me a lot，” said Jiang Feng， an 89-year-old former professor with Zhejiang Normal University and editor of the newly published Primary School Students’ Library series.
“Many books written during the period has been republished since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. However， until relatively recently， books tailored to children from the same period have received inadequate attention，” said yu. Children’s books during that period taught kids how to get along with people using principles espoused by Confucianism and how to attain a balanced relationship between humankind and nature.
“Many parents today want their children to read these books in order to learn how to be a good person，” said yu.
“Books written for children during the Republic of China period taught kids morals and ethics and helped them establish a positive value system，” said Pu Huaqing， a writer of children’s literature. “From this perspective， these books will never be out of date.”
yu pointed out that those who wrote children’s books during that period were predominantly renowned writers or scholars， a situation which would be unimaginable today. He cited the example of Feng Zikai （1898-1975）， a renowned cartoonist， essayist and translator who drew illustrations for many picture books and textbooks of that period.
“Feng applied the way children think to his paintings and writings. No matter whether he was painting or writing essays， he would ask himself whether he was thinking like a child，” yu told Beijing Review.
Works of value
yu believes it is vitally important to ensure children’s books carry the right messages， as his intended audience is as yet too immature to tell right from wrong. A nihilistic view of life and the questionable conceptions inherent in some works may exert a negative influence upon children， one which could potentially last for the remainder of their lives.
In addition to republishing old books， Dolphin Books has embraced contemporary works such as Taiwan-based illustrator and writer Jimmy Liao’s picture books.
“Liao’s picture book My Little Perfect World tells children that it’s impossible for one to be perfect and normal for a kid to be imperfect. It teaches kids how to face difficulties and defeat in life and be optimistic，” said yu.
Now the author’s picture book series has become one of the imprint’s flagship lines.
“The key to boosting the development of children’s books in China is to cultivate reliable brand identities with regard to both publishing lines and publishing houses and to spread a positive message，” said yu.