In the Beijing subway system, June 18. Image – iStockphoto: Sibway
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
School Reading Lists Rule During Summer Break
By July, primary and secondary students in the Chinese educational system had had what our associates at Beijing OpenBook describe as “almost a full semester of distance learning at home,” and were able to enjoy a summer vacation.
‘Red Crag,’ moved in July to No. 6 on OpenBook’s overall fiction list
Despite the impact of the coronavirus COVID-29 pandemic, the winter and summer holidays basically stood as bookends to the heaviest of the spread-mitigation restrictions on much of Chinese society, and thus “holiday characteristics” are showing up in the July data. Specifically, the lists show student-vacation recommended reading underway, with classic titles–some of these classics relatively contemporary and politically based–seeing their sales increasing.
For example, here is the durable Red Crag (sometimes translated as Red Rock), a 1961 novel, partially autobiographical, by Chinese authors Luo Guangbin and Yang Yiyan. The writers were inmates in a Nationalist Party prison in Sichuan. The book is set in Chongqing during the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and involves communist agents under the command of Zhou Enlai fighting an espionage battle against nationalists.
There’s also Ordinary World, by Lu Yao, set in the autumn of 1975, a year before the end of the Cultural Revolution in Shanxi province in China, a coming-of-age saga played out against a backdrop of economic and policy upheaval.
And from outside China, One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) by Gabriel García Márquez moves up on the lists, a perennial favorite.
‘Break the Cloud, Book 2
There are, however, three new entries in fiction in July, at least two of them parts of bestselling series, which—as in many Western markets—can help authors and publishers develop some dependable traction among loyal fans.
As OpenBook’s staffers are noting, when a consumer encounters a new entry in a series, it’s not unusual to see that reader buy the earlier series installments–good for sales–much as television series viewers will go back and watch a first season they missed before turning to a new second or third season.
Both Break the Cloud (Book 2) and The Cat Emperor and His Friends (Book 5) were released in June. They arrived with a large number of loyal readers ready to support subsequent distribution and sales of ensuing titles.
By contrast, Street Wizards (Book 3) is a new work by Feng Jicai and it has had a slower uptake in the charts. It was released in January of this year, and continues its two predecessor books in the series in format–the book comprises 18 short stories, each selected through primary and secondary school teaching materials. Built as it is on curriculum preferences, the summer school-reading break can be expected to boost its sales.
’30 Minutes of Science History’
The frequently expanding “30 Minutes” series of cartoon-format informational books from author and illustrator Chen Lei has grown again, this time taking on scientific history, with 30 Minutes of Science History standing at No. 20 in nonfiction after its release in May.
And, after two years on the market, Guo Degang on Chinese Cultural History reached No. 3 in July, its highest ranking to date. The book is an oral history designed to bring folk history into a concise, modern idiom, and its sales have benefitted from digital sales campaigns offering deep discounts.
Also newly on the list this month, When They Were Young Poets of Tang and Song Dynasty by Shao Nian Nu Ma.
Below, then, are OpenBook’s overall lists from (month) of bestsellers in fiction and nonfiction, followed by its lists of bestselling fiction and nonfiction in China by authors from outside the country.
At the end of our article, as always, you’ll find notes on how the lists are constructed.
And at this writing, the 5:27 a.m. ET update (0927 GMT) of the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center shows China with a caseload of 89,695 infections in its population of 1.4 billion, with 4,711 deaths.
OpenBook’s Fiction Bestsellers, July 2020
| June 2020 Ranking | July 2020 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 6 | 1 | 9787506365437 | 2010-06 | To Live | Yu hua | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 1 | 2 | 9787536692930 | 2008-01 | The Three-Body Problem | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 3 | 3 | 9787536693968 | 2008-05 | The Dark Forest | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 4 | 4 | 9787229030933 | 2010-11 | Death’s End | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 2 | 5 | 9787540487645 | 2018-06 | Moments We Shared | Zhang Jiajia | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 9 | 6 | 9787500601593 | 2005-08 | Red Crag | Luo Guangbin,Yang Yiyan | China Youth Press |
| 12 | 7 | 9787530216781 | 2017-06 | Ordinary Word (3 Volumns) | Lu Yao | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 5 | 8 | 9787559439482 | 2020-04 | Ran Freely (3) | Wu Zhe | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 13 | 9 | 9787544291170 | 2017-08 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 10 | 10 | 9787559620187 | 2018-10 | Ran Freely | Wu Zhe | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| Not Ranked | 11 | 9787020008742 | 1998-07 | Water Margin | Shi Nai’an,Luo Guanzhong | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 12 | 9787559442680 | 2020-06 | Break the Cloud (2) | Huai Shang | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 23 | 13 | 9787020002207 | 1998-07 | Dream of the Red Chamber | Cao Xueqin | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 14 | 14 | 9787559446848 | 2020-04 | Ran Freely (2) (2020 Edition) | Wu Zhe | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 15 | 9787020008735 | 1998-07 | Journey to the West | Wu Cheng’en | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 17 | 16 | 9787208061644 | 2006-04 | The Kite Runner (2018 Edition) | Khaled Hosseini | Shanghai People’s Publishing House |
| 7 | 17 | 9787544291163 | 2017-08 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 15 | 18 | 9787020090006 | 2012-07 | Fortress Besieged | Qian Zhongshu | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 19 | 9787506344791 | 2008-12 | Street Wizards | Feng Jicai | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 24 | 20 | 9787506394864 | 2017-09 | Sophie’s World (New Edition) | Jostein Gaarder | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 11 | 21 | 9787544280662 | 2020-03 | Silent Parade | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 22 | 9787530216774 | 2017-07 | Ordinary Word | Lu Yao | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 23 | 9787020162796 | 2020-06 | The Cat Emperor and His Friends (5) | Bai Cha | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 27 | 24 | 9787559436399 | 2019-07 | Break the Cloud | Huai Shang | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 25 | 9787020008728 | 1998-07 | Romance of the Three Kingdoms | Luo Guanzhong | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 8 | 26 | 9787530219218 | 2019-02 | Life is Like Ocean | Mai Jia | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 21 | 27 | 9787544270878 | 2014-04 | Miracles of the Namiya General Store | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 28 | 28 | 9787530215593 | 2017-06 | To Live | Yu hua | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 29 | 9787521208740 | 2020-01 | Street Wizards (3) | Feng Jicai | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 30 | 9787569930337 | 2019-06 | Underachieve | Mu Gua Huang | Bejing Times Chinese Press |
OpenBook’s Nonfiction Bestsellers, July 2020
| June 2020 Ranking | July 2020 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 15 | 1 | 9787020116133 | 2016-06 | Red Star Over China | Edgar Snow | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 1 | 2 | 9787544276986 | 2019-10 | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 3 | 9787540487850 | 2018-08 | Guo Degang on Chinese Cultural History | Guo Degang | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 2 | 4 | 9787550268517 | 2016-07 | Positive Discipline | Jane Nelsen | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 6 | 5 | 9787544387866 | 2019-09 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (4) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 7 | 6 | 9787539999883 | 2017-03 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 4 | 7 | 9787508095226 | 2018-09 | Nonviolent Communication | Marshall B.Rosenberg | Huaxia Publishing House |
| 10 | 8 | 9787544382045 | 2018-05 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (2) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 8 | 9 | 9787544382052 | 2018-05 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (3) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 3 | 10 | 9787540489304 | 2019-01 | Danshari | Yamashita Eiko | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 11 | 11 | 9787559418111 | 2018-04 | 30 Minutes of World History in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 12 | 9787540484880 | 2018-01 | The Gay Genius: The Life and Times of Su Tungpo (Commemorative Edition) | Lin Yutang | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 14 | 13 | 9787532174997 | 2020-03 | 30 Minutes of Song Poetry in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Shanghai Literature & Art Press |
| 17 | 14 | 9787559436184 | 2019-05 | 30 Minutes of Tang Poetry in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 19 | 15 | 9787559435552 | 2019-09 | 30 Minutes of Tang Poetry in Cartoon (2) | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 12 | 16 | 9787108063106 | 2018-06 | We Three (Third Edition) | Yang Jiang | SDX Joint Publishing Company |
| 28 | 17 | 9787508660752 | 2017-02 | Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 5 | 18 | 9787559620125 | 2018-05 | Genius on the Left, Lunatic on the Right (Full Version)(New Edition) | Gao Ming | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 9 | 19 | 9787201088945 | 2014-12 | No More Than Skins | Cai Chongda | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 20 | 9787549631698 | 2020-05 | 30 Minutes of Science History in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Wenhui Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 21 | 9787549550173 | 2014-01 | Seeing Off | Long Yingtai | Guangxi Normal University Press |
| 24 | 22 | 9787530214787 | 2017-04 | The Stories of the Sahara | Echo | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 23 | 9787535447340 | 2014-02 | The Poignant Culture Traveling | Yu Qiuyu | Changjiang Literature & Art Press Co.,Ltd. |
| Not Ranked | 24 | 9787540493653 | 2020-01 | When They were Young: Poets of Tang and Song Dynasty | Shao Nian Nu Ma | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 25 | 9787020116379 | 2016-08 | The Long March (Revised Edition) | Wang Shuzeng | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 30 | 26 | 9787535732309 | 2001-11 | A Brief History of Time | Stephen W.Hawking | Hunan Science & Technology Press |
| 18 | 27 | 9787503561634 | 2017-08 | Xi Jinping’s Seven Years as an Educated Youth | Party School of the Central Committee of C.P.C | Central Party School Press |
| 16 | 28 | 9787544389372 | 2019-11 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon: Traditional Chinese Festivals | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 22 | 29 | 9787508689586 | 2018-07 | Economics Lecture Notes | Xue Zhaofeng | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 20 | 30 | 9787503567292 | 2020-01 | Xi Jinping in Ningde | Party School of the Central Committee of C.P.C | Central Party School Press |
Foreign Author Fiction Bestsellers, July 2020
| June 2020 Ranking | July 2020 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 3 | 1 | 9787544291170 | 2017-08 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 1 | 2 | 9787544291163 | 2017-08 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 5 | 3 | 9787208061644 | 2018-02 | The Kite Runner (2018 Edition) | Khaled Hosseini | United States of America | Shanghai People’s Publishing House |
| 2 | 4 | 9787544280662 | 2020-03 | Silent Parade | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 13 | 5 | 9787506394864 | 2017-09 | Sophie’s World (New Edition) | Jostein Gaarder | Norway | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 9 | 6 | 9787544270878 | 2014-04 | Miracles of the Namiya General Store | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 17 | 7 | 9787539983295 | 2015-10 | Foundation | Isaac Asimov | United States of America | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 6 | 8 | 9787544285148 | 2016-10 | Malice | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 4 | 9 | 9787544299015 | 2020-05 | The Camphor Keeper | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 11 | 10 | 9787544267618 | 201406- | The Devotion of Suspect X | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 12 | 11 | 9787544766500 | 2017-01 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | United States of America | Yilin Press |
| 14 | 12 | 9787532776771 | 2018-03 | Norwegian Wood (30th Anniversary Edition) | Haruki Murakami | Japan | Shanghai Translation Publishing House |
| 10 | 13 | 9787544291224 | 2017-08 | After School (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 7 | 14 | 9787544297059 | 2020-03 | Love in the Time of Cholera (3 Million Sold Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 15 | 9787530217054 | 2017-12 | The Alchemist | Paulo Coelho | Brazil | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 8 | 16 | 9787544280020 | 2019-08 | What Life You Want to Have | Yoshino Genzaburo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 17 | 9787544774666 | 2018-12 | Jane Eyre | Charlotte Brontë | Britain | Yilin Press |
| 15 | 18 | 9787544281102 | 2016-01 | Newcomer | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 18 | 19 | 9787201116693 | 2017-05 | My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry | Fredrik Backman | Sweden | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 20 | 20 | 9787550013247 | 2015-05 | Ferryman | Claire McFall | United Kingdom | Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House |
Foreign Author Nonfiction Bestsellers, July 2020
| June 2020 Ranking | July 2020 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 12 | 1 | 9787020116133 | 2017-06 | Red Star Over China | Edgar Snow | United States of America | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 1 | 2 | 9787544276986 | 2019-10 | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | United States of America | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 2 | 3 | 9787550268517 | 2016-07 | Positive Discipline | Jane Nelsen | United States of America | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 5 | 4 | 9787508095226 | 2018-09 | Nonviolent Communication | Marshall B.Rosenberg | United States of America | Huaxia Publishing House |
| 3 | 5 | 9787540489304 | 2019-01 | Danshari | Yamashita Eiko | Japan | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 16 | 6 | 9787508660752 | 2017-02 | Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari | Israel | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 20 | 7 | 9787301110522 | 2006-10 | A Global History: From Prehistory to the 21st Century (Vol.2) | L. S. Stavrianos | United States of America | Peking University Press |
| 19 | 8 | 9787301109489 | 2006-10 | A Global History: From Prehistory to the 21st Century (Vol.1) | L. S. Stavrianos | United States of America | Peking University Press |
| 14 | 9 | 9787514219203 | 2017-09 | The Willpower Instinct (New Edition) | Kelly McGonigal | United States of America | Cultural Development Publishing House |
| 17 | 10 | 9787535732309 | 2001-11 | A Brief History of Time | Stephen W. Hawking | United Kingdom | Hunan Science & Technology Press |
| 15 | 11 | 9787201088822 | 2014-09 | How to Win Friends & Influence People | Dale Carnegie | United States of America | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 12 | 9787108009821 | 2014-03 | 1587, a Year of No Significance | Ray Huang | United States of America | SDX Joint Publishing Company |
| 18 | 13 | 9787508684031 | 2017-12 | Principles | Ray Dalio | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| Not Ranked | 14 | 9787544775830 | 2019-07 | Souvenirs Entomologiques | Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre | France | Yilin Press |
| Not Ranked | 15 | 9787544768559 | 2017-07 | Souvenirs Entomologiques | Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre | France | Yilin Press |
| Not Ranked | 16 | 9787508672069 | 2017-01 | Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow | Yuval Noah Harari | Israel | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| Not Ranked | 17 | 9787544768511 | 2017-06 | Three Days to See (New Edition) | Helen Keller | United States of America | Yilin Press |
| 8 | 18 | 9787547734315 | 2019-09 | Life is Worth Living | Nakamura Tsuneko | Japan | Beijing daily publishing house |
| Not Ranked | 19 | 9787301269381 | 2019-09 | A Global History:From Prehistory to 21ST Century | L. S. Stavrianos | United States of America | Peking University Press |
| Not Ranked | 20 | 9787508650890 | 2015-05 | Who Moved My Cheese? | Spencer Johnson | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
Notes on the Charts
OpenBook
is a privately owned industry-data research firm based in Beijing. It functions somewhat as Nielsen and NDP do from the West, and Nielsen Book Research International has worked with OpenBook in Asian operations. With authoritative data and information resources, OpenBook is able to deliver consulting service to partners who would like to explore the Chinese book market and identify suitable partners.
Jiang Boyan LLC advises authors and right’s holders on global intellectual property and investment opportunities. 
As of January 1, 2020, OpenBook monitored more than 10,000 online and offline bookstores.
The online channel includes digital retailers such as large self-operated online stores, platform stores, and small- and medium-sized stores. The offline channels include 4,495 bookstores. Coverage includes most of the state-owned and influential privately owned bookstores in 30 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Tibet are not included in OpenBook’s system.
In 2019, OpenBook tracked around 71.72 billion RMB in sales (US$10.1 billion).
Retail outlets include:
- Traditional bookstores
- Supermarkets
- Campus bookstores
- “Professional” stores, said to be small stores with a specific industrial or trade focus
- Airport stores
In addition, OpenBook is drawing data from online bookstores of three main types:
- The “Tmall” stores of Alibaba (Tmall is described as a marketplace of companies that create storefronts online to sell products including books)
- The “JingDong” Stores of JD.com (similar to Tmall as a marketplace of both individual companies and bookstores operated by JD.com)
- Ten independent online bookselling retailers
China has 500 or more publishers in operation today. Most of them, Trajectory CEO James Bryant clarifies, are government-owned. Private publishers are required to generate ISBNs for their titles from a publishing company that is government-owned—which, in other words, creates a system in which all ISBNs are in one way or another registered through government channels. The government approves each book published in China.
More China bestseller reports from Publishing Perspectives are here. And more from us on the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on international book publishing is here and at the CORONAVIRUS tab at the top of each page of our site.