On the banks of the Yangtze in Wuhan, a February 14 shot of citizens out for celebrations of the Lunar New Year, the Year of the Ox. Image – iStockphoto: Julien Viry
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Controversy Sells
There were six new titles on the Beijing OpenBook overall bestseller list in fiction in January, and in three cases, they moved quite quickly by this market’s standards, having been published within three months of their arrivals on the chart.
‘Preparing for the Stage’ by Li Dan
The six new Chinese bestsellers in January are:
- Preparing for the Stage by Li Dan, ranked No.14
- First Frost by Zhu Yi, ranked No. 17
- Hidden Love by Zhu Yi, ranked No. 19
- Street Wizards (Full Version) by Feng Jicai, ranked No. 23
- Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2020 Edition) by Higashino Keigo, ranked No. 29
- Beyond the Outline (2) by Mu Gua Huang, ranked No. 30
Li Dan’s Preparing for the Stage is a debut novella, its title also sometimes translated as something more cautionary, Wait to Come Onstage.
Some sales-boosting controversy has surrounded this one, in which author Li Dan uses his own name for his character who starts a talk show and builds a big showbiz life for himself. As it happens, the piece turns out to be something we might call autobiographical fiction, although that, of course, is a contradiction in terms.
‘Gag Reel’ by Li Dan
Written in a conversational, confessional style, then, the piece has caused some consternation among readers and critics who prefer their fiction and nonfiction to be kept apart. The unreliable narrator is an unreliable author, too, it turns out, and the debate about whether the book is “true” echoes a great deal of trouble many in the world today seem to have in keeping those things separate.
What complicates this is the associated re-entry into the nonfiction chart of Li Dan’s Gag Reel, catching the momentum of the fictionalized autobiography. This one is actual nonfiction and is based on a show of the same title, a program streamed online.
‘First Frost’ by Zhu Yi
Meanwhile back on the fiction list, First Frost and Hidden Love are companion pieces and they demonstrate a trend in marketing based on “online literature,” as the immense sector of Internet series writing is called in many parts of Asia.
Once a series has become a hit, a publisher will create a physical book edition of it, which is then bought by faithful fans as a collector’s item. The book is then flanked with other products including postcards, posters, and so on. What sells, in other words, is the merchandise.
Author Zhu Yi has a major presence in various social media and thus has been charting in online channels as well as with OpenBook’s wider rankings.
Regular readers of our China bestsellers articles know that Miracles of the Namiya General Store by the Japanese writer Higashino Keigo—hugely popular in China—is hardly new but has been brought out in a “2020 edition” with an attractive new cover.
Children’s Books: For the Only Child
If controversy helps drive the main fiction (and nonfiction) list in January in China, there’s a touching parallel in children’s books being noted this month by our good colleagues at OpenBook.
‘I Have Friendship to Rent’ by Fang Suzhen
Rainy Liu there points out that in China, most kids are only children—with no siblings. It was only in 2015 that the government adjusted the one-child policy, allowing families to have two children. “In addition,” Liu says, “many families live in apartment houses or other high-rise buildings, and there are fewer and fewer places to play. Therefore, many children don’t know how to meet new friends and get along well.”
The need for socialization has prompted Fang Suzhen to write I Have Friendship to Rent in which isolated children are represented by a sad gorilla. In a tale of patience and respect, the gorilla and a small mouse coexist, waiting for their friendship to get started. Surrounded by more potential friends—lions, leopards, zebras, giraffes, ostriches—the gorilla’s own shyness is compounded by theirs.
The key, it turns out, is sharing, and in reading the book, children are encouraged to look for their own nearby potential friends, a lesson that has helped the book win the Annual National Children’s Book Award. During the summer, it was added to reading lists for younger children and is now recommended by the educational system.
Below, then, are OpenBook’s overall lists from January of bestsellers in fiction, illustration, and nonfiction, including bestselling titles in China by authors from outside the country—the international rights business at work.
At the end of our article, as always, you’ll find notes on how the lists are constructed.
The Coronavirus in China
In terms of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, much of the news involving China has to do with the coming report from the World Health Organization’s team back from its investigatory trip to Wuhan. Nick Paton Walsh and Sandi Sidhu are reporting for CNN that the preliminary report “will recommend more extensive contact tracing of the first known patient with COVID-19 in Wuhan, as well as the supply chain of nearly a dozen traders in the Huanan seafood market, which is thought to have played a role in the early spread of COVID-19 in late 2019, according to investigators familiar with the draft report.”
At this writing, the 9:24 a.m. ET (1424 GMT) update of the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center sees 100,774 cases in China’s population of 1.4 billion, with 4,833 fatalities.
OpenBook’s Fiction Bestsellers, January 2021
| December 2020 Ranking | January 2021 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | 9787500601593 | 2005-08 | Red Crag | Luo Guangbin,Yang Yiyan | China Youth Press |
| 7 | 2 | 9787544291170 | 201708 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 5 | 3 | 9787540487645 | 2018-06 | Moments We Shared | Zhang Jiajia | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 2 | 4 | 9787536692930 | 2008-01 | The Three-Body Problem | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 3 | 5 | 9787536693968 | 2008-05 | The Dark Forest | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 4 | 6 | 9787229030933 | 2010-11 | Death’s End | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 12 | 7 | 9787530216781 | 2017-06 | Ordinary Word (3 Volumns) | Lu Yao | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 8 | 9787539983295 | 2015-10 | Foundation | Isaac Asimov | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 30 | 9 | 9787530216774 | 2017-07 | Ordinary Word | Lu Yao | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 10 | 9787500680239 | 2009-01 | Pioneering | Liu Qing | China Youth Press |
| Not Ranked | 11 | 9787506394864 | 2017-09 | Sophie’s World (New Edition) | Jostein Gaarder | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 16 | 12 | 9787020002207 | 1998-07 | Dream of the Red Chamber | Cao Xueqin | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 6 | 13 | 9787506365437 | 2010-06 | To Live | Yu hua | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 14 | 9787532178018 | 2020-11 | Preparing for the Stage | Li Dan | Shanghai Literature & Art Press |
| 10 | 15 | 9787020090006 | 2012-07 | Fortress Besieged | Qian Zhongshu | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 11 | 16 | 9787544291163 | 2017-08 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 17 | 9787559452788 | 2020-12 | First Frost | Zhu Yi | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 18 | 9787544766500 | 2017-01 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | Yilin Press |
| Not Ranked | 19 | 9787555285298 | 2020-03 | Hidden Love | Zhu Yi | Qingdao Publishing House |
| 9 | 20 | 9787208061644 | 2006-04 | The Kite Runner (2018 Edition) | Khaled Hosseini | Shanghai People’s Publishing House |
| 8 | 21 | 9787020164776 | 2020-07 | A Late Bloomer | Mo Yan | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 22 | 9787544774635 | 2019-01 | How the Steel Was Tempered (New Edition) | Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky | Yilin Press |
| Not Ranked | 23 | 9787020160457 | 2020-01 | Street Wizards (Full Version) | Feng Jicai | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 15 | 24 | 9787530219218 | 2019-02 | Life is Like Ocean | Mai Jia | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 20 | 25 | 9787020008735 | 1998-07 | Journey to the West | Wu Cheng’en | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 19 | 26 | 9787544285148 | 2016-10 | Malice | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 28 | 27 | 9787020008728 | 1998-07 | Romance of the Three Kingdoms | Luo Guanzhong | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 18 | 28 | 9787521210033 | 2020-09 | Sit for a While Tea House | Jia Pingwa | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 29 | 9787544298995 | 2020-09 | Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2020 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 30 | 9787514516906 | 2020-11 | Beyond the Outline (2) | Mu Gua Huang | China Zhi Gong Press |
OpenBook’s Nonfiction Bestsellers, January 2021
| December 2020 Ranking | January 2021 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | 9787544276986 | 2019-10 | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 2 | 9787544771627 | 2018-03 | Fu Lei’s Letters for Home (2018 Edition)(Hardcover) | Fu Lei, Fu Min | Yilin Press |
| 3 | 3 | 9787549632725 | 2020-09 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (5) | Chen Lei | Wenhui Publishing House |
| 2 | 4 | 9787550268517 | 2016-07 | Positive Discipline | Jane Nelsen | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 6 | 5 | 9787539999883 | 2017-03 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 4 | 6 | 9787508095226 | 2018-09 | Nonviolent Communication | Marshall B.Rosenberg | Huaxia Publishing House |
| 7 | 7 | 9787544387866 | 2019-09 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (4) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 8 | 8 | 9787544382045 | 2018-05 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (2) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 9 | 9 | 9787544382052 | 2018-05 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (3) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 5 | 10 | 9787540489304 | 2019-01 | Danshari | Yamashita Eiko | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 11 | 9787557023041 | 2020-10 | If History were a Group of Cats: Sui and Tang Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 11 | 12 | 9787559418111 | 2018-04 | 30 Minutes of World History in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 12 | 13 | 9787508660752 | 2017-02 | Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| Not Ranked | 14 | 9787544771610 | 2018-03 | Fu Lei’s Letters for Home (2018 Edition)(Paperback) | Fu Lei, Fu Min | Yilin Press |
| 10 | 15 | 9787559639134 | 2020-06 | The Rise of China | Jin Yinan | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| Not Ranked | 16 | 9787559640246 | 2020-04 | Gag Reel (Signature Edition) | Li Dan | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 18 | 17 | 9787508689586 | 2018-07 | Economics Lecture Notes | Xue Zhaofeng | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| Not Ranked | 18 | 9787540487850 | 2018-08 | Guo Degang on Chinese Cultural History | Guo degang | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 25 | 19 | 9787540484880 | 2018-01 | The Gay Genius: The Life and Times of Su Tungpo (Commemorative Edition) | Lin Yutang | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 13 | 20 | 9787201088945 | 2014-12 | No More Than Skins | Cai Chongda | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 24 | 21 | 9787108063106 | 2018-06 | We Three (Third Edition) | Yang Jiang | SDX Joint Publishing Company |
| Not Ranked | 22 | 9787544389372 | 2019-11 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon: Traditional Chinese Festivals | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 22 | 23 | 9787559436184 | 2019-05 | 30 Minutes of Tang Poetry in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 24 | 9787530214787 | 2017-04 | The Stories of the Sahara | Echo | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 20 | 25 | 9787559620125 | 2018-05 | Genius on the Left, Lunatic on the Right (Full Version)(New Edition) | Gao Ming | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 28 | 26 | 9787559435552 | 2019-09 | 30 Minutes of Tang Poetry in Cartoon (2) | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 29 | 27 | 9787532174997 | 2020-03 | 30 Minutes of Song Poetry in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Shanghai Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 28 | 9787540493653 | 2020-01 | When They were Young: Poets of Tang and Song Dynasty | 0 | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 23 | 29 | 9787535732309 | 2001-11 | A Brief History of Time | Stephen W.Hawking | Hunan Science & Technology Press |
| 14 | 30 | 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 |
OpenBook’s Illustrated Bestsellers, January 2021
| December 2020 Ranking | January 2021 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author Nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 3 | 1 | 9787543464582 | 2007-05 | My Dad | Anthony Browne | United Kingdom | Hebei Education Press |
| 5 | 2 | 9787543464575 | 2007-06 | My Mum | Anthony Browne | United Kingdom | Hebei Education Press |
| 6 | 3 | 9787533274269 | 2013-08 | Guess How Much I Love You | Sam McBratney, Anita Jeram | Ireland | Tomorrow Publishing House |
| 8 | 4 | 9787539135168 | 2006-10 | Les P’tites Poules: I want to See the Sea | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 6 | 5 | 9787533274269 | 2013-08 | Guess How Much I Love You | Sam McBratney, Anita Jeram | Ireland | Tomorrow Publishing House |
| 10 | 6 | 9787539135182 | 2006-10 | Les P’tites Poules: I Want to Have a Star | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 9 | 7 | 9787539135151 | 2006-10 | Les P’tites Poules: I will Get the Sun Back | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 12 | 8 | 9787539135137 | 2006-10 | Les P’tites Poules: I Love the Black Kitty | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 11 | 9 | 9787539135175 | 2006-10 | Les P’tites Poules: I Want to Have a Little Brother | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 13 | 10 | 9787539168999 | 2011-10 | Les P’tites Poules: I Am Not a Coward | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 14 | 11 | 9787539135144 | 2006-10 | Les P’tites Poules: I Can Beat the Monster | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 17 | 12 | 9787539141992 | 2008-09 | Les P’tites Poules: I’ll Find Langlang | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 19 | 13 | 9787539148076 | 2009-05 | Les P’tites Poules: I Like Her Very Much | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 15 | 14 | 9787539188607 | 2013-06 | Les P’tites Poules: I Love the Saucepan | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 16 | 15 | 9787539144542 | 2009-05 | Les P’tites Poules: I Don’t Want to Be Eaten | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 18 | 16 | 9787539155937 | 2010-06 | Les P’tites Poules: I Must Rescue B E Riot | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 2 | 17 | 9787539189147 | 2014-01 | MIYANISHI’s Tyrannosaurus Series | Tatsuya Miyanishi | Japan | 21st Century Press Group |
| Not Ranked | 18 | 9787533273460 | 2013-05 | Something from nothing | Phoebe Gilman | Canada | Tomorrow Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 19 | 9787549253876 | 2018-08 | Listenable Enlightenment Picture Book (60 volumes) | He Yao | China | Chang Jiang Press |
| Not Ranked | 20 | 9787559015266 | 2017-06 | I have friendship to rent | Fang Suzhen | China Taiwan Region | Xinjiang Children and Youth Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 21 | 9787533274245 | 2013-07 | The Runaway Bunny | Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hrud | United States | Tomorrow Publishing House |
| 7 | 22 | 9787543464636 | 2007-04 | No, David! | David Shannon | United States | Hebei Education Press |
| Not Ranked | 23 | 9787533255879 | 2008-03 | New year’s reunion | Yu Liqiong, Zhu Chengliang | China | Tomorrow Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 24 | 9787559633507 | 2019-08 | Best Gift in the World | Lai Ma | China Taiwan Region | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 20 | 25 | 9787543470927 | 2008-10 | David Goes to School | David Shannon | United States | Hebei Education Press |
| 21 | 26 | 9787521501773 | 2020-11 | 0-3 years old baby behavior management EQ picture book (60 volumes) | Huang Qi | China | Knowledge Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 27 | 9787556012671 | 2012-09 | Little Chick QiuQiu Growing Up Picture Book Series. Little Chick QiuQiu Helping Mother | Satoshi Iriyama | Japan | Changjiang Children’s Press |
| Not Ranked | 28 | 9787556012664 | 2012-09 | Little Chick QiuQiu Growing Up Picture Book Series. Little Chick QiuQiu Hide and Seek! | Satoshi Iriyama | Japan | Changjiang Children’s Press |
| Not Ranked | 29 | 9787556012657 | 2012-09 | Little Chick QiuQiu Growing Up Picture Book Series. Good night, Little Chick QiuQiu | Satoshi Iriyama | Japan | Changjiang Children’s Press |
| Not Ranked | 30 | 9787556012633 | 2012-09 | Little Chick QiuQiu Growing Up Picture Book Series. Thank you! | Satoshi Iriyama | Japan | Changjiang Children’s Press |
Foreign Illustrated Bestsellers, January 2021
| December 2020 Ranking | January 2021 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author Nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 2 | 1 | 9787543464582 | 2007-05 | My Dad | Anthony Browne | United Kingdom | Hebei Education Press |
| 3 | 2 | 9787543464575 | 2007-06 | My mum | Anthony Browne | United Kingdom | Hebei Education Press |
| 4 | 3 | 9787533274269 | 2013-08 | Guess How Much I Love You | Sam McBratney, Anita Jeram | Ireland | Tomorrow Publishing House |
| 6 | 4 | 9787539135168 | 2006-10 | Les P’tites Poules: I want to See the Sea | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 4 | 5 | 9787533274269 | 2013-08 | Guess How Much I Love You | Sam McBratney, Anita Jeram | Ireland | Tomorrow Publishing House |
| 8 | 6 | 9787539135182 | 2006-10 | Les P’tites Poules: I Want to Have a Star | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 7 | 7 | 9787539135151 | 2006-10 | Les P’tites Poules: I will Get the Sun Back | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 10 | 8 | 9787539135137 | 2006-10 | Les P’tites Poules: I Love the Black Kitty | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 9 | 9 | 9787539135175 | 2006-10 | Les P’tites Poules: I Want to Have a Little Brother | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 11 | 10 | 9787539168999 | 2011-10 | Les P’tites Poules: I Am Not a Coward | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 12 | 11 | 9787539135144 | 2006-10 | Les P’tites Poules: I Can Beat the Monster | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 15 | 12 | 9787539141992 | 2008-09 | Les P’tites Poules: I’ll Find Langlang | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 17 | 13 | 9787539148076 | 2009-05 | Les P’tites Poules: I Like Her Very Much | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 13 | 14 | 9787539188607 | 2013-06 | Les P’tites Poules: I Love the Saucepan | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 14 | 15 | 9787539144542 | 2009-05 | Les P’tites Poules: I Don’t Want to Be Eaten | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 16 | 16 | 9787539155937 | 2010-06 | Les P’tites Poules: I Must Rescue B E Riot | Christian Jolibois, Christian Heinrich | France | 21st Century Press Group |
| 1 | 17 | 9787539189147 | 2014-01 | MIYANISHI’s Tyrannosaurus Series | Tatsuya Miyanishi | Japan | 21st Century Press Group |
| Not Ranked | 18 | 9787533273460 | 2013-05 | Something from nothing | Phoebe Gilman | Canada | Tomorrow Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 19 | 9787533274245 | 2013-07 | The Runaway Bunny | Margaret Wise Brown,Clement Hrud | United States | Tomorrow Publishing House |
| 5 | 20 | 9787543464636 | 2007-04 | No, David! | David Shannon | United States | Hebei Education Press |
| 18 | 21 | 9787543470927 | 2008-10 | David Goes to School | David Shannon | United States | Hebei Education Press |
| Not Ranked | 22 | 9787556012671 | 2012-09 | Little Chick QiuQiu Growing Up Picture Book Series. Little Chick QiuQiu Helping Mother | Satoshi Iriyama | Japan | Changjiang Children’s Press |
| Not Ranked | 23 | 9787556012664 | 2012-09 | Little Chick QiuQiu Growing Up Picture Book Series. Little Chick QiuQiu Hide and Seek! | Satoshi Iriyama | Japan | Changjiang Children’s Press |
| Not Ranked | 24 | 9787556012657 | 2012-09 | Little Chick QiuQiu Growing Up Picture Book Series. Good night, Little Chick QiuQiu | Satoshi Iriyama | Japan | Changjiang Children’s Press |
| Not Ranked | 25 | 9787556012633 | 2012-09 | Little Chick QiuQiu Growing Up Picture Book Series. Thank you! | Satoshi Iriyama | Japan | Changjiang Children’s Press |
| Not Ranked | 26 | 9787556012640 | 2012-09 | Little Chick QiuQiu Growing Up Picture Book Series. Where is Mom? | Satoshi Iriyama | Japan | Changjiang Children’s Press |
| Not Ranked | 27 | 9787556012626 | 2012-09 | Little Chick QiuQiu Growing Up Picture Book Series. Good Friends | Satoshi Iriyama | Japan | Changjiang Children’s Press |
| Not Ranked | 28 | 9787533273477 | 2013-05 | Diary of a Worm | Doreen Cronin,Harry Bliss | United States | Tomorrow Publishing House |
| 21 | 29 | 9787545533897 | 2018-02 | International Master EQ Education Picture Book Museum. It’s nice to have a brother | Susie Jan-Pierce | United Kingdom | Heaven & Earth Press |
| 20 | 30 | 9787545534122 | 2018-02 | Friend for Mole | Nancy Almo | United States | Heaven & Earth Press |
Foreign Author Fiction Bestsellers, January 2021
| December 2020 Ranking | January 2021 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | 9787544291170 | 2017-08 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 20 | 2 | 9787539983295 | 2015-10 | Foundation | Isaac Asimov | United States of America | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 11 | 3 | 9787506394864 | 2017-09 | Sophie’s World (New Edition) | Jostein Gaarder | Norway | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 3 | 4 | 9787544291163 | 2017-08 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 4 | 5 | 9787544766500 | 2017-01 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | United States of America | Yilin Press |
| 2 | 6 | 9787208061644 | 2018-02 | The Kite Runner (2018 Edition) | Khaled Hosseini | United States of America | Shanghai People’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 7 | 9787544774635 | 2019-01 | How the Steel Was Tempered (New Edition) | Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics | Yilin Press |
| 6 | 8 | 9787544285148 | 2016-10 | Malice | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 13 | 9 | 9787544298995 | 2020-09 | Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2020 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 10 | 9787544775717 | 2019-06 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (New Edition) | Jules Verne | France | Yilin Press |
| 8 | 11 | 9787544267618 | 2014-06 | The Devotion of Suspect X | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 9 | 12 | 9787544297059 | 2020-03 | Love in the Time of Cholera (3 Million Sold Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 5 | 13 | 9787544280662 | 2020-03 | Silent Parade | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 7 | 14 | 9787532776771 | 2018-03 | Norwegian Wood (30th Anniversary Edition) | Haruki Murakami | Japan | Shanghai Translation Publishing House |
| 10 | 15 | 9787544291224 | 2017-08 | After School (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 16 | 9787555910749 | 2020-12 | The Silent Patient | Alex Michaelides | Britain | Henan Literature & Art Press |
| 12 | 17 | 9787544281102 | 2016-01 | Newcomer | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 18 | 9787544774666 | 2018-12 | Jane Eyre | Charlotte Brontë | Britain | Yilin Press |
| 18 | 19 | 9787532175512 | 2020-05 | 13 Steps | Kazuaki Takano | Japan | Shanghai Literature & Art Press |
| 15 | 20 | 9787201116693 | 2017-05 | My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry | Fredrik Backman | Sweden | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
Foreign Author Nonfiction Bestsellers, January 2021
| December 2020 Ranking | January 2021 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | 9787544276986 | 2019-10 | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | United States of America | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 3 | 2 | 9787201161693 | 2020-08 | Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure | Robert de Board | Britain | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 2 | 3 | 9787550268517 | 2016-07 | Positive Discipline | Jane Nelsen | United States of America | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 6 | 4 | 9787508095226 | 2018-09 | Nonviolent Communication | Marshall B.Rosenberg | United States of America | Huaxia Publishing House |
| 7 | 5 | 9787540489304 | 2019-01 | Danshari | Yamashita Eiko | Japan | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 5 | 6 | 9787111635574 | 2019-10 | The Working Methods of Kazuo Inamori | Kazuo Inamori | Japan | China Machine Press |
| 9 | 7 | 9787520711531 | 2019-11 | A Compass to Fulfillment | Kazuo Inamori | Japan | Orient Press |
| 4 | 8 | 9787115536198 | 2020-05 | Heart: Kazuo Inamori’s Philosophy of Life | Kazuo Inamori | Japan | Posts & Telecommunications Publishing House |
| 13 | 9 | 9787508687216 | 2018-08 | Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty | Abhijit V.Banerjee, Esther Duflo | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 15 | 10 | 9787220114045 | 2019-07 | Rich Dad Poor Dad | Robert T.Kiyosaki | United States of America | Sichuan People’s Publishing House |
| 20 | 11 | 9787508633558 | 2012-07 | Thinking, Fast and Slow | Daniel Kanneman | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 10 | 12 | 9787508660752 | 2017-02 | Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari | Israel | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 12 | 13 | 9787540471194 | 2019-02 | Relationship: Bridge to the Soul | Christoper Moon | Canada | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 11 | 14 | 9787547734315 | 2019-09 | Life is Worth Living | Nakamura Tsuneko | Japan | Beijing daily publishing house |
| Not Ranked | 15 | 9787111551287 | 2016-10 | Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise | Anders Ericsson,Robert Pool | United States of America | China Machine Press |
| 16 | 16 | 9787508684031 | 2017-12 | Principles | Ray Dalio | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 14 | 17 | 9787807639817 | 2013-07 | Danshari | Yamashita Eiko | Japan | Guangxi Science & Technology Press |
| 8 | 18 | 9787210096528 | 2017-09 | Mindset: The New Psychology of Success | Carol S.Dweck | United States of America | Jiangxi People’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 19 | 9787301109489 | 2006-10 | A Global History: From Prehistory to the 21st Century (Vol.1) | L. S. Stavrianos | United States of America | Peking University Press |
| Not Ranked | 20 | 9787301110522 | 2006-10 | A Global History: From Prehistory to the 21st Century (Vol.2) | L. S. Stavrianos | United States of America | Peking University Press |
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, Jiang Boyan 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.