Actor Zhang Zhehan in a publicity still for ‘Word of Honor.’ Zhang plays Zhou Zishu / Zhou Zi Su, co-starring with Gong Jun, left. His cryptic Instagram message on June 14 is credited with moving Neil Gaiman’s ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ anthology–published in March by Jiangsu Literature & Art Press onto the Chinese charts at No. 7. Image – Ciwen Meida, Youku, Max East
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Star Power Propels Neil Gaiman’s ‘Smoke and Mirrors’
In an unusual amount of change for China’s bestseller lists, nine books entered the charts in June—six titles appearing for the first time and three returning.
‘Smoke and Mirrors’
Neil Gaiman’s 1998 short story collection Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions. (This is HarperCollins’ 2021 English edition. Should you be interested in an audiobook edition, “Neil himself” reads the work here.) was published in March by Jiangsu Literature & Art Press and was understood to inhabit a niche appeal, as imported fantasy writings tend to do in China.
Not making particularly big strides in the market at first, our Beijing OpenBook associates tell us, the anthology in the late spring drew the attention of 30-year-old actor and Shanghai Theatrical Academy graduate Zhang Zhehan.
His work as Zhou Zishu/Zhou Zi Su in the television series Word of Honor has catapulted him to a new level of fame in the Chinese market this year. (Both Netflix and Prime Video from Amazon carry the 36-episode opening season with English subtitles, distributed by Jetsen Husashi Media.)
Just to be clear, Word of Honor is not a Gaiman piece. It’s based on a novel, Faraway Wanderers, by a female author who writes under the pseudonym Priest.
The work is based in two popular genres. One is wuxia, which revolves around ancient Chinese martial arts. The other is danmei, a term that means there’s an indulgence in beauty–specifically in male-male relationships. It’s typically targeted to female audiences but also is understood to be a form of expression avidly valued in cultures that don’t support more openly developed homoerotic themes.
Zhang, evidently having come across Jiangsu’s publication of the Gaiman anthology, on June 14 posted an Instagram message which contained four words relative to four short stories in Smoke and Mirrors.
Zhang Zhehan
Fans “decoded” the message—Zhang starred in a 2016 television mystery series called Decoded—and the resulting attention to Gaiman’s book led to quick sellouts across digital retailers in China.
Update August 16: Since this article was written on August 2, Zhang has come under intense state-media criticism and a reported loss of upcoming projects and lucrative brand endorsements. Around August 13, reports surfaced, including this Reuters article of August 14, saying that the actor had visited the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo in 2018 and 2019, posting photos of himself there on social media.
The Shinto shrine has long been a point of contention with East Asian neighbors of Japan because of Tokyo’s former colonization aggression (including the South Korean comfort women). The shrine commemorates those who died in wars in which Japan was involved and includes the names of 14 World War II convicted war criminals.
As Walter Sim at the Straits Times writes, Zhang has apologized and said that he was ignorant of the controversy around the shrine, the Chinese Association of Performing Arts has called for a boycott of his work. Companies that formally were in endorsement agreements with him have canceled. Those companies include Coca-Cola in the States and the Danish jeweler Pandora.
As Ju-min Park writes for Reuters in a separate article on August 13, even the Japanese defense minister was criticized this month by South Korea for visiting the shrine, and in 2013, Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe drew complaints from Beijing, Seoul, and Washington for making such a visit. It’s unclear at this point how much impact this political gaffe might have on the actor’s fan base or celebrity influence.
More Fiction Developments in the Charts
‘Personal Notes of Wu Xie’
If Gaiman’s book took top new-to-the-charts honors at No. 7, Nanpai Sanshu’s Personal Notes of Wu Xie was close behind at No. 10.
In the case of Nanpai’s book, the approach to the bestseller list was fast. The book was published in May by Jincheng Press and is a follow-up to another popular title, The Lost Tomb.
Our colleagues at Beijing OpenBook point to an artful use of such an existing fan base in two other works, The Mystery of the Alphabet (Henan Literature & Art Press) by Seiichirou Oyama at No. 18 and Aye (Chang Jiang Press) by Yin Luxing.
The Seiichirou work is new, and the author is sometimes called “the god of short story reasoning for very astute mystery constructions. Short videos have been used to promote this one to faithful mystery consumers.
‘Aye’
Yin’s Aye began its life as “online literature”—that’s digital-serial writing, of course—where it had the delightful title I Like Your Pheromone.
Our associate Rainy Liu, always perceptive on these subtleties, points out to us that while this book will of course be riding primarily on the popularity of its original digital-serial life (much as, say, Anna Todd’s After series has ridden on its original fandom at Wattpad), a radio-drama edition of I Like Your Pheromone/Aye has been avidly followed since January, with a second season introduced in April.
Utilizing popular actors to voice its roles, that radio drama’s two seasons, as Liu is explaining, created another layer of marketing force for the work, so that the arrival of the book edition from Chang Jiang Press served as an immediately welcomed extension of the brand.
’13 Steps’
Also new to the charts in June are 13 Steps (Shanghai Literature & Art Press) by Kazuaki Takano at No. 23 and Sour Plum by Huang San (Jiangsu Literature & Art Press) at No. 27, both doing well on the popularity in the market of campus-based themes for stories.
Below, then, are OpenBook’s overall lists from June of bestsellers in fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books, 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.
Actor Zhang Zhehan in a publicity still for ‘Word of Honor’ from Ciwen Media. He plays Zhou Zishu / Zhou Zi Su, co-starring with Gong Jun. His oblique Instagram message on June 14 is believed to have moved Neil Gaiman’s ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ onto the Chinese charts at No. 7. Image – Ciwen Meida, Youku, Max East
OpenBook’s Fiction Bestsellers, June 2021
| May 2021 Ranking | June 2021 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | 9787536692930 | 2008-01 | The Three-Body Problem | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 3 | 2 | 9787536693968 | 2008-05 | The Dark Forest | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 6 | 3 | 9787229030933 | 2010-11 | Death’s End | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 5 | 4 | 9787540487645 | 2018-06 | Moments We Shared | Zhang Jiajia | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 7 | 5 | 9787530215593 | 2017-06 | To Live | Yu hua | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 11 | 6 | 9787544291170 | 2017-08 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 7 | 9787559456021 | 2021-03 | Smoke and Mirrors | Neil Gaiman | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 2 | 8 | 9787530221099 | 2021-02 | Wencheng | Yu hua | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 19 | 9 | 9787530216781 | 2017-06 | Ordinary Word (3 Volumns) | Lu Yao | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 10 | 9787515521763 | 2021-05 | Personal Notes of Wu Xie | Nanpai Sanshu | Jincheng Press |
| 15 | 11 | 9787506331746 | 2005-05 | Distant Savior | Dou Dou | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 12 | 12 | 9787559452788 | 2020-12 | First Frost | Zhu Yi | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 8 | 13 | 9787550032071 | 2019-02 | White Olive Tree | Jiu Yuexi | Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House |
| 4 | 14 | 9787500601593 | 2005-08 | Red Crag | Luo Guangbin,Yang Yiyan | China Youth Press |
| 17 | 15 | 9787544291163 | 2017-08 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Keigo Higashino | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 25 | 16 | 9787544766500 | 2017-01 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | Yilin Press |
| 18 | 17 | 9787020002207 | 1998-07 | Dream of the Red Chamber | Cao Xueqin | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 18 | 9787555911425 | 2021-05 | The Mystery of the Alphabet | Seiichirou Oyama | Henan Literature & Art Press |
| 16 | 19 | 9787550032859 | 2019-07 | You are My Desire | Qi Jian | Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House |
| 26 | 20 | 9787544285148 | 2016-10 | Malice | Keigo Higashino | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 21 | 9787544267618 | 2014-06 | The Devotion of Suspect X | Keigo Higashino | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 29 | 22 | 9787020090006 | 2012-07 | Fortress Besieged | Qian Zhongshu | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 23 | 9787532175512 | 2020-05 | 13 Steps | Kazuaki Takano | Shanghai Literature & Art Press |
| 14 | 24 | 9787555285298 | 2020-03 | Hidden Love | Zhu Yi | Qingdao Publishing House |
| 23 | 25 | 9787521210033 | 2020-09 | Sit for a While Tea House | Jia Pingwa | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 26 | 9787549276042 | 2021-05 | Aye | Yin Luxing | Chang Jiang Press |
| Not Ranked | 27 | 9787559451347 | 2020-09 | Sour Plum | Huang San | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 28 | 9787530219218 | 2019-02 | Life is Like Ocean | Mai Jia | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 29 | 9787532776771 | 2018-03 | Norwegian Wood (30th Anniversary Edition) | Haruki Murakami | Shanghai Translation Publishing House |
| 9 | 30 | 9787506344791 | 2008-12 | Street Wizards | Feng Jicai | The Writer’s Publishing House |
OpenBook’s Nonfiction Bestsellers, June 2021
| May 2021 Ranking | June 2021 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 2 | 1 | 9787201161693 | 2020-08 | Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure | Robert de Board | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 4 | 2 | 9787549632725 | 2020-09 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (5) | Chen Lei | Wenhui Publishing House |
| 5 | 3 | 9787539999883 | 2017-03 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 6 | 4 | 9787544387866 | 2019-09 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (4) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 7 | 5 | 9787544382045 | 2018-05 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (2) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 8 | 6 | 9787544382052 | 2018-05 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (3) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 10 | 7 | 9787559643926 | 2020-08 | Master of Learning | Li Zheyuan | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 1 | 8 | 9787544276986 | 2019-10 | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 12 | 9 | 9787559418111 | 2018-04 | 30 Minutes of World History in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 10 | 9787557024413 | 2021-05 | If History were a Group of Cats: Prosperity of the Tang Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 29 | 11 | 9787020116133 | 2016-06 | Red Star Over China | Edgar Snow | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 3 | 12 | 9787572201882 | 2020-08 | The Value | Zhang Lei | Zhejiang Education Press Co.,Ltd |
| 11 | 13 | 9787508095226 | 2018-09 | Nonviolent Communication | Marshall B.Rosenberg | Huaxia Publishing House |
| 17 | 14 | 9787559313652 | 2017-09 | If History were a Group of Cats: Xia, Shang and Western Zhou Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Heilongjiang Fine Arts Press |
| 15 | 15 | 9787557023041 | 2020-10 | If History were a Group of Cats: Sui and Tang Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 18 | 16 | 9787559330260 | 2018-06 | If History were a Group of Cats: The Spring-autumn and Warring State Period | Fei Zhi | Heilongjiang Fine Arts Press |
| 19 | 17 | 9787557017477 | 2019-02 | If History were a Group of Cats: Qin, Chu, Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 21 | 18 | 9787557020149 | 2019-09 | If History were a Group of Cats: Three Kingdoms | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 20 | 19 | 9787557021856 | 2020-05 | If History were a Group of Cats: Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 22 | 20 | 9787557020132 | 2019-09 | If History were a Group of Cats: The End of Eastern Han Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 24 | 21 | 9787508660752 | 2017-02 | Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 13 | 22 | 9787540489304 | 2019-01 | Danshari | Yamashita Eiko | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 16 | 23 | 9787559639134 | 2020-06 | The Rise of China | Jin Yinan | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| Not Ranked | 24 | 9787111495482 | 2015-04 | The Courage to Be Disliked | Ichiro Kishimi | China Machine Press |
| 14 | 25 | 9787550268517 | 2016-07 | Positive Discipline | Jane Nelsen | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| Not Ranked | 26 | 9787511568687 | 2021-01 | At the Turn of Xiajiang River: The Story of Chen Xingjia | Chen Xingjia | People Daily Publishing House |
| 9 | 27 | 9787559640246 | 2020-04 | Gag Reel (Signature Edition) | Li Dan | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 27 | 28 | 9787508689586 | 2018-07 | Economics Lecture Notes | Xue Zhaofeng | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 23 | 29 | 9787521210255 | 2020-08 | The Tough Brilliance | Jin Yinan | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 30 | 9787559436184 | 2019-05 | 30 Minutes of Tang Poetry in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
OpenBook’s Children’s Bestsellers, June 2021
| May 2021 Ranking | June 2021 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 2 | 1 | 9787536574397 | 2016-01 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Clever Little Prodigy | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 3 | 2 | 9787536574366 | 2016-01 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Stratego | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 5 | 3 | 9787536574380 | 2016-01 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Who’s the Smart Guy? | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 6 | 4 | 9787536574373 | 2016-01 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: The Great Adventure of the Castle | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 7 | 5 | 9787536593756 | 2020-05 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Password Discovery | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 4 | 6 | 9787536593749 | 2020-05 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Game of the Wise | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 8 | 7 | 9787536593442 | 2020-05 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: The Magic Lamp | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 1 | 8 | 9787534633362 | 2005-05 | Bronze and Sunflower | Cao Wenxuan | Jiangsu Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 9 | 9 | 9787536593459 | 2020-05 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: ‘Have a Meal’ Restaurant | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 11 | 10 | 9787536587694 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: I am a Pupil | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 18 | 11 | 9787536587755 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Secrets of Nature | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 13 | 12 | 9787536587724 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Look at This Family | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 17 | 13 | 9787536587731 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Trouble of the New Deskmate | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 19 | 14 | 9787536587748 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: A Lot of Fun | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 14 | 15 | 9787536587717 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: A Dog Called Rat | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 16 | 16 | 9787536587762 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: If I Have a Time Machine | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 15 | 17 | 9787536587700 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: My Good Friend Tie Tou | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 18 | 9787544288590 | 2018-06 | Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window (2018 Edition) | Tetsuko Kuroyanagi | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 12 | 19 | 9787521726473 | 2020-12 | A Dog Named Money | Bodo Schafer | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 28 | 20 | 9787536587779 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: I Have a Super Follow | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 20 | 21 | 9787536587793 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Comedy King Comes | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 24 | 22 | 9787536587809 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Cheers, Soccer Boy | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 22 | 23 | 9787536587786 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Naughty Boy and Grandpa | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 25 | 24 | 9787536588202 | 2017-11 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Meet Mr. Cat | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 26 | 25 | 9787536588196 | 2017-11 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: There’s a Little Prodigy in Class | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 21 | 26 | 9787536588110 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Undercover Deskmate | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 23 | 27 | 9787536588103 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: The Future Me | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 27 | 28 | 9787536596313 | 2019-12 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Idioms Comic Games | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 30 | 29 | 9787558900648 | 2017-07 | Winter of Three Hairs (With Chinese Pinyin) | Zhang Leping | Juvenile & Children’s Publishing House |
| 10 | 30 | 9787534618727 | 1998-07 | The Straw Hut | Cao Wenxuan | Jiangsu Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
Foreign Author Fiction Bestsellers, June 2021
| May 2021 Ranking | June 2021 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 2 | 1 | 9787544291170 | 2017-08 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 14 | 2 | 9787559456021 | 2021-03 | Smoke and Mirrors | Neil Gaiman | Britain | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 3 | 3 | 9787544291163 | 2017-08 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 5 | 4 | 9787544766500 | 2017-01 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | United States of America | Yilin Press |
| Not Ranked | 5 | 9787555911425 | 2021-05 | The Mystery of the Alphabet | Seiichirou Oyama | Japan | Henan Literature & Art Press |
| 6 | 6 | 9787544285148 | 2016-10 | Malice | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 10 | 7 | 9787544267618 | 2014-06 | The Devotion of Suspect X | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 8 | 8 | 9787532175512 | 2020-05 | 13 Steps | Kazuaki Takano | Japan | Shanghai Literature & Art Press |
| 9 | 9 | 9787532776771 | 2018-03 | Norwegian Wood (30th Anniversary Edition) | Haruki Murakami | Japan | Shanghai Translation Publishing House |
| 4 | 10 | 9787544298995 | 2020-09 | Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2020 Edition) | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 1 | 11 | 9787555910749 | 2020-12 | The Silent Patient | Alex Michaelides | Britain | Henan Literature & Art Press |
| 11 | 12 | 9787544297059 | 2020-03 | Love in the Time of Cholera (3 Million Sold Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 13 | 13 | 9787544291224 | 2017-08 | After School (2017 Edition) | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 16 | 14 | 9787208061644 | 2018-02 | The Kite Runner (2018 Edition) | Khaled Hosseini | United States of America | Shanghai People’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 15 | 9787530221297 | 2021-05 | The Virtual Clown | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 12 | 16 | 9787539983295 | 2015-10 | Foundation | Isaac Asimov | United States of America | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 7 | 17 | 9787544262705 | 2021-03 | Thread of Hope | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 18 | 18 | 9787544281102 | 2016-01 | Newcomer | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 15 | 19 | 9787506394864 | 2017-09 | Sophie’s World (New Edition) | Jostein Gaarder | Norway | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 20 | 9787530217054 | 2017-12 | The Alchemist | Paulo Coelho | Brazil | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
Foreign Author Nonfiction Bestsellers, June 2021
| May 2021 Ranking | June 2021 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 2 | 1 | 9787201161693 | 2020-08 | Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure | Robert de Board | Britain | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 1 | 2 | 9787544276986 | 2019-10 | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | United States of America | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 17 | 3 | 9787020116133 | 2017-06 | Red Star Over China | Edgar Snow | United States of America | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 3 | 4 | 9787508095226 | 2018-09 | Nonviolent Communication | Marshall B. Rosenberg | United States of America | Huaxia Publishing House |
| 10 | 5 | 9787111635574 | 2019-10 | The Working Methods of Kazuo Inamori | Kazuo Inamori | Japan | China Machine Press |
| 13 | 6 | 9787508660752 | 2017-02 | Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari | Israel | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 4 | 7 | 9787540489304 | 2019-01 | Danshari | Eiko Yamashita | Japan | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 6 | 8 | 9787111495482 | 2020-03 | The Courage to Be Disliked | Ichiro Kishimi | Japan | China Machine Press |
| 5 | 9 | 9787550268517 | 2016-07 | Positive Discipline | Jane Nelsen | United States of America | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 8 | 10 | 9787540471194 | 2019-02 | Relationship: Bridge to the Soul | Christoper Moon | Canada | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 18 | 11 | 9787508684031 | 2017-12 | Principles | Ray Dalio | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 9 | 12 | 9787520711531 | 2019-11 | A Compass to Fulfillment | Kazuo Inamori | Japan | Orient Press |
| 11 | 13 | 9787220114045 | 2019-07 | Rich Dad Poor Dad | Robert T.Kiyosaki | United States of America | Sichuan People’s Publishing House |
| 16 | 14 | 9787547734315 | 2019-09 | Life is Worth Living | Nakamura Tsuneko | Japan | Beijing daily publishing house |
| 15 | 15 | 9787210096528 | 2017-09 | Mindset: The New Psychology of Success | Carol S. Dweck | United States of America | Jiangxi People’s Publishing House |
| 14 | 16 | 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 |
| 19 | 17 | 9787508633558 | 2012-07 | Thinking, Fast and Slow | Daniel Kanneman | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 12 | 18 | 9787115536198 | 2020-05 | Heart: Kazuo Inamori’s Philosophy of Life | Kazuo Inamori | Japan | Posts & Telecommunications Publishing House |
| 20 | 19 | 9787535732309 | 2001-11 | A Brief History of Time | Stephen W.Hawking | Britain | Hunan Science & Technology Press |
| Not Ranked | 20 | 9787301109489 | 2006-10 | A Global History: From Prehistory to the 21st Century (Vol.1) | 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.