Launched in both Chinese and English, a new book series Road to a Well-Off Society offers a timely introduction and explanation of China's goal of reaching moderate prosperity by 2020 and what it will bring to the international society.

The series is applauded for being a quick reaction to hot key words that grabbed global attention after President Xi Jinping's recent speeches about the "Chinese Dream".

"The series is the first complete and fully-extended publication on the 'well-off society'. It's also targeted at the readers outside of the country," says Zhang Yanbin, official from the State Council Information Office.

Published by Beijing Times Chinese Press, Road to a Well-Off Society contains six volumes, covering aspects ranging from economy to culture. It also dedicates a whole volume to ecological improvement, emphasizing the relevant problems, efforts so far and the future vision of a "beautiful China".

The volumes are written in a plain and objective tone. Rich with data and examples, they avoid wordy repetition of policies, each book aiming to be an inviting read to the global audience.

"It's also a timely release, as it echoes some of the hot topics that are the center of the world's interest," Zhang says.

Jing Ruibin, an expert in international communication, helped to proof the English version. To Jing, the series surprises him with updated information from November 2013, just two months before the book's official release, when "comprehensively deepening reform" was brought about during the Third Plenary Session of 18th Central Committee of Communist Party of China.

The publishing project was led by Wu Li, deputy director of Institute of Contemporary China Studies of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The notion of a well-off society was first brought up by Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s. Following that path, China increased per capita income to more than $6,100 in 2012, a sharp contrast to less than $200 in 1978.

In 2012, the 18th CPC National Congress mandated "building a moderately prosperous society in all aspects" by 2020, which drew wide interest from the outside.

"The international community is concerned about the direction that China is heading in the pursuit of the goal," says Jing.

He Yaomin, from Renmin University, says in 35 years China has achieved what the West did in 200 years, creating a miracle. The university press releases many titles each year to explain what are behind the miracle.

"In all, China's development is achieved on self-reliance and self-improvement," He says.

"When we're talking about the Chinese Dream, we know that the road to moderately prosperous society shows a tangible way of realizing the dream," Zhang says.

(China Daily 01/28/2014 page22)