Maodun Literature prize winner Liu Zhenyun's Cellphone (top) and Zhang Yueran's Ten Loves were published in Spanish. Provided to China Daily

Chinese books are receiving growing international attention, partly because of the country's increasing importance and also due to rebranding efforts by publishers

Porcelain, kung fu, herbal medicine and Confucius If reading about traditional culture is not your thing, Chinese publishers are now focusing more on contemporary themes. This news arrives hot on the heels of a finding that contemporary literature and "China mode" books are drawing wider attention. At the China Book International project's annual meeting in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on April 10, 35 top Chinese publishers who operate in the international market gathered to share the China experience of "going global" - particularly in light of the world economic slowdown. Started in 2006 by the State General Administration of Press and Publication, Radio, Film and Television, CBI intends to increase China's share of the international book market.

This involves the government partly funding translation and promotion costs, and Chinese publishers working with foreign counterparts to sell the books to international audiences. CBI also runs a foreign consultants committee, comprised of top international publishers and experts.

"In the first years of CBI, we were exploring a sound way of operating the project," says Zhang Fuhai with the administration, who's also a CBI director.

"In 2010, we focused on expanding the international channels for Chinese publishers; in 2011, we perfected the supporting policies; in 2012, we focused on the overall international layout of China's publishing business and increased investment in foreign countries.

"In 2013, we will further build up the Chinese publishing brand-names. Chinese literature may offer a breakthrough."

Li Hongjie, president of China Intercontinental Press, said at the CBI annual meeting that its reports suggest contemporary Chinese writers have huge market potential in Spanish-speaking countries.

"Our choice of the Spanish-language market is not a random one," Li says. "It's based on the 70 titles we have published in Spanish."

Li says that, besides Spain, there are 400 million Spanish-speakers in Latin America. In recent years, Spanish-language literature has generated 11 Nobel literature laureates and has influenced Chinese writers like Mo Yan.

But only 12 Chinese novels were published in the Spanish-speaking world from 1978 to 1999, with 36 published from 2000 to 2010, Li says.

"We see a great opportunity for contemporary Chinese writing," Li says, adding he believes it is a mirror of the profound changes in society over the last 30 years.

He says there is more interest in China from Latin countries like Mexico. "China is a developing country that they feel they can empathize with."

Beginning May 2011, China Intercontinental Press started translating works and has so far published four novels in Spanish, including Maodun Literature Award winner Liu Zhenyun's Cellphone and the youthful Zhang Yueran's Ten Loves.

It will publish 10 more in June and November, and another 10 in 2014, covering 45 Chinese writers, including Chi Zijian, Mai Jia, Su Tong and Bi Feiyu.

To promote these books, China Intercontinental Press has organized literary forums and attended book fairs.

Planeta, the largest Spanish-language publishing group, has agreed to jointly publish Mai Jia's Secret Plot, a catchy story about spies.

Li says his company employs two translators to work on a book, who have Chinese and Spanish as mother languages, in order to ensure quality. Spanish writers will add the finishing touches to books.

"In case the original Chinese texts are difficult, we encourage the translators to communicate with the writers."

Li adds literary agents, introductory prefaces and changes to typesetting are also intended to target particular readers.

"Once the mechanism of the Spanish project is fully tested, we will be able to apply it to more regions," Li adds.

The administration's deputy director Wu Shulin says CBI has made progress in terms of quantity and quality.

"The world wants to see more Chinese super best-sellers that can bomb the international market," Wu says.

"Mo Yan winning the Nobel offers great timing for Chinese writers to be read more globally. "

He says the country's fast growth has drawn international interest.

"People want to know why and how. And books of the like were mainly written by foreigners over the past years," he says.

"Now we have more written by Chinese, providing Chinese perspectives and Chinese interpretations."

Shi Hongjun, vice-president of Shanghai Century Publishing Group, says the group has made "study of China's contemporary development" the top priority in its international publishing plans, together with Chinese literature and traditional culture.

The group's 16 titles under "30 Years of China's Reform Studies" had 14 books jointly published with Cengage Learning of the United States, offering ideas by top scholars from multiple areas to unveil the back story behind China's reform and opening-up.

International relations expert Zhang Weiwei's The China Wave: The Rise of a Civilizational State is a best-seller. US World Century launched its English version last year. Shi says the English version has been selected as a Washington University teaching reference.

"The China mode of development, its economic, social and political structure, told through books and publications, offers explanations and satisfies the desire of knowing why," Shi says.

China Publishing Group Corp's vice-president Li Yan says his group also benefits from publishing contemporary Chinese themes.

"We changed our pitching style to appeal more to the international market," Li says.

The group is shifting from selecting topics gleaned from domestic publications to pitching topics together with world-acclaimed experts.

One successful case is Frederick William Engdahl and his The New Energy Wars in 2011 and Target China in January. Both books were first launched in China and then sold internationally.

"The books on contemporary China are especially important to the global audience, because they tell of the existence of a second path to pursue an ideal life, besides the path the West believes and preaches," CBI office director Zhang says.

meijia@chinadaily.com

(China Daily 04/19/2013 page30)