In Yuyuan Garden, the lantern festival ahead of the lunar new year near the City God Temple in Shanghai, January 23. Image – Getty iStockphoto: Yanjf
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Classics, Romance, and Women’s Fiction
Everything old was new again, as the saying goes, in China’s bestseller lists in January. Even regular readers of Publishing Perspectives’ Chinese bestseller lists—those who are accustomed to the sedate rate of change in this big market’s reading interests—will be impressed to learn that Luo Guangbin and Yang Yiyan’s Red Crag went to No. 1 (again) in January’s fiction list. Red Crag is a 61-year-old book set in Chongqing during the Chinese Civil War in 1949.
‘Red Crag’
What was behind this, of course, was the impact of educational reading lists driving extracurricular consumption during the winter holiday. As we’ve seen in the past, educational reading patterns regularly sway what might otherwise be normal commercial-content sales trends.
Our colleagues at Beijing OpenBook, however, point to an interesting arrival at No. 3 in the fiction list, the point at which Ying Cheng’s Heliotrope & Zjz–described as a romance–entered the list for the first time. Like many contemporary successes, the book began as an online series, although it wasn’t seen as being especially successful. It then made a surprisingly credible showing in sales in January, helped by a lot of social-media presence on Weibo to overcome even the emphasis on educational reading-list titles.
Rights now have been sold reportedly into film, television, comics, audio treatments, and radio dramas—all expected to keep Heliotrope & Zjz around for some time.
‘Heliotrope & Zjz’
One more newcomer, this one at No. 10, is a work being described to us as young women’s fiction, Heaven Official’s Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu.
This is a case of manga-to-book, an unusual route for books on the China bestseller lists, as it would be in some Western markets: comics-to-novel. Not unlike the track record of Heliotrope & Zjz in its original online-serial format, Heaven Official’s Blessing was not such a rising star in comics. What seems to be buoying it now, aside from its appeal to a younger women’s demographic, is a “light and funny” story.
And in nonfiction, those ubiquitous series of “30 Minutes in Cartoon” historical books and the “If History Were a Group of Cats” series on various dynastic eras of China’s history continued in January to maintain their respective grips on the charts, with robust sales channels in both digital and physical retail points.
‘Heaven Official’s Blessing’
Beyond that, our associates at OpenBook point out that the winter-vacation reading lists landed their usual impact on the nonfiction register, “mainly classic bestsellers” re-entering the Top 30″ range.
Below, then, are OpenBook’s overall lists from January 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.
A Note About the Coronavirus in China
As many readers of Publishing Perspectives know, tens of millions of Chinese citizens are reported to be under coronavirus spread-mitigation lockdown measures as this story is published in mid-March, parts of the country facing their worst COVID-19 outbreaks in two years.
Lily Kuo reports for the Washington Post, “The surge—and accompanying lockdowns that could severely harm the recovering economy—may force the country to rethink its approach to the virus as much of the world begins to ease pandemic restrictions. Hong Kong’s key Hang Seng index plummeted by 5 percent on Monday over covid worries.” And CNBC’s Eustance Huang saw the Hang Seng drop to its lowest close on Tuesday (March 15) since 2016, another drop of 5.72 percent.
In Shenzhen, more than 17 million people are on stay-at-home orders through Sunday (March 20). At the Wall Street Journal, Sha Hua reports China recording more than 15,000 symptomatic locally transmitted infections in 28 provinces so far in March.
While these numbers may not seem large by comparison to those seen in many Western markets, the count of 5,154 new symptomatic and asymptomatic infections reported on Monday alone, Sha reports, are the highest since early 2020, and are dramatic in the context of China’s “zero-COVID” policies.
In coming months, then, we’ll look to see what effects may be registered in market action from these coronavirus numbers. Our report on OpenBook’s research and observations for China’s 2021 market performance is here.
In a Shanghai metro station, January 7. Image – Getty iStockphoto: Andy Feng
OpenBook’s Fiction Bestsellers, January 2022
| December 2021 Ranking | January 2022 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 6 | 1 | 9787500601593 | 2005-08 | Red Crag | Luo Guangbin, Yang Yiyan | China Youth Press |
| 2 | 2 | 9787506331746 | 2005-05 | Distant Savior | Dou Dou | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 3 | 9787559455758 | 2021-12 | Heliotrope & Zjz | Ying Cheng | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 1 | 4 | 9787536692930 | 2008-01 | The Three-Body Problem | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 9 | 5 | 9787020002207 | 1998-07 | Dream of the Red Chamber | Cao Xueqin | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 3 | 6 | 9787536693968 | 2008-05 | The Dark Forest | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 4 | 7 | 9787229030933 | 2010-11 | Death’s End | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 8 | 9787506394864 | 2017-09 | Sophie’s World (New Edition) | Jostein Gaarder | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 8 | 9 | 9787530221532 | 2021-10 | To Live (2021 Edition) | Yu hua | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 10 | 9787521733570 | 2021-12 | Heaven Official’s Blessing (1) | Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, STARember | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| Not Ranked | 11 | 9787500680239 | 2009-01 | Pioneering | Liu Qing | China Youth Press |
| 5 | 12 | 9787540487645 | 2018-06 | Moments We Shared | Zhang Jiajia | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 13 | 9787539983295 | 2015-10 | Foundation | Isaac Asimov | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 7 | 14 | 9787544291170 | 2017-08 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 12 | 15 | 9787506368698 | 2013-06 | The World Under the Sky | Dou Dou | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 16 | 16 | 9787544766500 | 2017-01 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | Yilin Press |
| 23 | 17 | 9787530221396 | 2021-06 | Ordinary Word (3 Volumes) (2021 Edition) | Lu Yao | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 10 | 18 | 9787572602825 | 2021-08 | Always Have, Always Will | Zhang Jiajia | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 19 | 9787544774635 | 2019-01 | How the Steel Was Tempered (New Edition) | Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky | Yilin Press |
| Not Ranked | 20 | 9787506344791 | 2008-12 | Street Wizards | Feng Jicai | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 21 | 9787544775717 | 2019-06 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (New Edition) | Jules Verne | Yilin Press |
| Not Ranked | 22 | 9787553524399 | 2021-12 | Book of Sin (7) | Zhi Zhu | Shanghai Culture Publishing House |
| 14 | 23 | 9787544291163 | 2017-08 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Keigo Higashino | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 17 | 24 | 9787530221099 | 2021-02 | Wencheng | Yu hua | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 25 | 9787530216774 | 2017-07 | Ordinary Word | Lu Yao | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 21 | 26 | 9787020090006 | 2012-07 | Fortress Besieged | Qian Zhongshu | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 27 | 9787020160457 | 2020-01 | Street Wizards (Full Version) | Feng Jicai | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 28 | 9787533966102 | 2021-12 | Life and Death are Wearing Me Out | Mo Yan | Zhejiang Literature & Art Press |
| 20 | 29 | 9787020008735 | 1998-07 | Journey to the West | Wu Cheng’en | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 30 | 9787020008728 | 1998-07 | Romance of the Three Kingdoms | Luo Guanzhong | People’s Literature Publishing House |
OpenBook’s Nonfiction Bestsellers, January 2022
| December 2021 Ranking | January 2022 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | 9787201161693 | 2020-08 | Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure | Robert de Board | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 2 | 2 | 9787544334792 | 2011-01 | Close to The Buddha | Khenpo Sherab Zangpo Rinpoche | Hainan Publishing House |
| 3 | 3 | 9787557025847 | 2021-11 | If History were a Group of Cats: Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 4 | 9787540484880 | 2018-01 | The Gay Genius: The Life and Times of Su Tungpo | Lin Yutang | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 5 | 9787544771627 | 2018-03 | Fu Lei’s Letters for Home (2018 Edition) (Hardcover) | Fu Lei, Fu Min | Yilin Press |
| 10 | 6 | 9787539999883 | 2017-03 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 8 | 7 | 9787111495482 | 2015-04 | The Courage to Be Disliked | Ichiro Kishimi | China Machine Press |
| 5 | 8 | 9787559313652 | 2017-09 | If History were a Group of Cats: Xia, Shang and Western Zhou Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Heilongjiang Fine Arts Press |
| 4 | 9 | 9787557024413 | 2021-05 | If History were a Group of Cats: Prosperity of the Tang Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 13 | 10 | 9787549632725 | 2020-09 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (5) | Chen Lei | Wenhui Publishing House |
| 17 | 11 | 9787544382052 | 2018-05 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (3) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 15 | 12 | 9787544382045 | 2018-05 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (2) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 16 | 13 | 9787544387866 | 2019-09 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (4) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 7 | 14 | 9787559330260 | 2018-06 | If History were a Group of Cats: The Spring-autumn and Warring State Period | Fei Zhi | Heilongjiang Fine Arts Press |
| 6 | 15 | 9787557023041 | 2020-10 | If History were a Group of Cats: Sui and Tang Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 12 | 16 | 9787557017477 | 2019-02 | If History were a Group of Cats: Qin, Chu, Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 9 | 17 | 9787557020149 | 2019-09 | If History were a Group of Cats: Three Kingdoms | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 14 | 18 | 9787557020132 | 2019-09 | If History were a Group of Cats: The End of Eastern Han Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 11 | 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 |
| 18 | 20 | 9787544276986 | 2019-10 | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 19 | 21 | 9787550268517 | 2016-07 | Positive Discipline | Jane Nelsen | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| Not Ranked | 22 | 9787544771610 | 2018-03 | Fu Lei’s Letters for Home (2018 Edition) (Paperback) | Fu Lei, Fu Min | Yilin Press |
| 20 | 23 | 9787547739549 | 2021-05 | 30 Minutes of World History in Cartoon (2) | Chen Lei | Beijing daily publishing house |
| Not Ranked | 24 | 9787010175157 | 2017-05 | Heart of Bodhi | Cao Dewang | People’s Publishing House |
| 21 | 25 | 9787559418111 | 2018-04 | 30 Minutes of World History in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 26 | 9787222204331 | 2021-11 | Details of Law | Luo Xiang | Yunnan People’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 27 | 9787108009821 | 1998-07 | 1587, a Year of No Significance | Ray Huang | SDX Joint Publishing Company |
| Not Ranked | 28 | 9787534198793 | 2021-10 | 30 Minutes of the Big Bang in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Zhejiang Science & Technology Press Co.,Ltd |
| Not Ranked | 29 | 9787559620125 | 2018-05 | Genius on the Left, Lunatic on the Right (Full Version) (New Edition) | Gao Ming | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| Not Ranked | 30 | 9787201088945 | 2014-12 | No More Than Skins | Cai Chongda | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
OpenBook’s Children’s Bestsellers, January 2022
| December 2021 Ranking | January 2022 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| Not Ranked | 1 | 9787558900648 | 2017-07 | Winter of Three Hairs (With Chinese Pinyin) | Zhang Leping | Juvenile & Children’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 2 | 9787544288590 | 2018-06 | Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window (2018 Edition) | Tetsuko Kuroyanagi | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 3 | 9787534633362 | 2005-05 | Bronze and Sunflower | Cao Wenxuan | Jiangsu Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 4 | 9787534256301 | 2009-09 | Dreaming of Being a Wolf King (2018 Edition) | Shen Shixi | Zhejiang Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 5 | 9787532767373 | 2014-08 | Charlotte’s web | Elwyn Brooks White | Shanghai Translation Publishing House |
| 26 | 6 | 9787533299224 | 2018-10 | Fantastic Mr. Fox | Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake | Tomorrow Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 7 | 9787534618727 | 1998-07 | The Straw Hut | Cao Wenxuan | Jiangsu Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 8 | 9787513340694 | 2021-12 | The Christmas Pig | J.K. Rowling | New Star Press Co.Ltd |
| 2 | 9 | 9787521726473 | 2020-12 | A Dog Named Money | Bodo Schafer | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 3 | 10 | 9787536574397 | 2016-01 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Clever Little Prodigy | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 4 | 11 | 9787536574366 | 2016-01 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Stratego | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 8 | 12 | 9787536593749 | 2020-05 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Game of the Wise | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 9 | 13 | 9787536593756 | 2020-05 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Password Discovery | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 5 | 14 | 9787536574380 | 2016-01 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Who’s the Smart Guy? | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 6 | 15 | 9787536574373 | 2016-01 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: The Great Adventure of the Castle | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 11 | 16 | 9787536593442 | 2020-05 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: The Magic Lamp | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 17 | 9787020144587 | 2018-10 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows | J.K. Rowling | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 12 | 18 | 9787536593459 | 2020-05 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: ‘Have a Meal’ Restaurant | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 19 | 9787020144532 | 2018-10 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone | J.K.Rowling | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 1 | 20 | 9787556855339 | 2021-08 | Treasure Hunting in Heilongjiang | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| Not Ranked | 21 | 9787531333227 | 2008-06 | Xili Hulu The Little Pig (Vol.2) | Sun You Jun | Chunfeng Art & Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 22 | 9787531332091 | 2008-05 | Xili Hulu The Little Pig (Vol.1) | Sun You Jun | Chunfeng Art & Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 23 | 9787533259563 | 2009-03 | Fantastic Mr. Fox | Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake | Tomorrow Publishing House |
| 17 | 24 | 9787536596313 | 2019-12 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Idioms Comic Games | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 21 | 25 | 9787536587694 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: I am a Pupil | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 26 | 9787500794141 | 2009-11 | Pippi Longstocking | Astrid Lindgren, Ingrid Vang Nyman | China Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 27 | 9787558900617 | 2017-07 | San Mao Joins the Army (With Chinese Pinyin) | Zhang Leping | Juvenile & Children’s Publishing House |
| 13 | 28 | 9787543464582 | 2007-05 | My Dad | Anthony Browne | Hebei Education Press |
| Not Ranked | 29 | 9787531340065 | 2011-07 | Xili Hulu The Little Pig (Vol.1) | Sun You Jun | Chunfeng Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 27 | 30 | 9787536587724 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Look at This Family | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
Foreign Author Fiction Bestsellers, January 2022
| December 2021 Ranking | January 2022 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 202112 | 202201 | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 9 | 1 | 9787506394864 | 2017-09 | Sophie’s World (New Edition) | Jostein Gaarder | Norway | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 14 | 2 | 9787539983295 | 2015-10 | Foundation | Isaac Asimov | United States of America | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 1 | 3 | 9787544291170 | 2017-08 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 4 | 4 | 9787544766500 | 2017-01 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | United States of America | Yilin Press |
| Not Ranked | 5 | 9787544774635 | 2019-01 | How the Steel Was Tempered (New Edition) | Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics | Yilin Press |
| Not Ranked | 6 | 9787544775717 | 2019-06 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (New Edition) | Jules Verne | France | Yilin Press |
| 3 | 7 | 9787544291163 | 2017-08 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 8 | 9787539983295 | 2021-09 | Foundation (Revised Edition) | Isaac Asimov | United States of America | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 6 | 9 | 9787544298995 | 2020-09 | Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2020 Edition) | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 16 | 10 | 9787208061644 | 2021-03 | The Kite Runner | Khaled Hosseini | United States of America | Shanghai People’s Publishing House |
| 5 | 11 | 9787544285148 | 2016-10 | Malice | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 12 | 9787544774666 | 2018-12 | Jane Eyre | Charlotte Bronte | Britain | Yilin Press |
| 7 | 13 | 9787532175512 | 2020-05 | 13 Steps | Kazuaki Takano | Japan | Shanghai Literature & Art Press |
| 8 | 14 | 9787544267618 | 2014-06 | The Devotion of Suspect X | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 15 | 9787540485337 | 2018-03 | Tsubaki Stationery Store | Ito Ogawa | Japan | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 15 | 16 | 9787539967363 | 2016-12 | Dune | Frank Herbert | United States of America | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 2 | 17 | 9787536094857 | 2021-11 | First Person Singular | Haruki Murakami | Japan | Flower City Press |
| 17 | 18 | 9787201116693 | 2017-05 | My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry | Fredrik Backman | Sweden | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 11 | 19 | 9787544297059 | 2020-03 | Love in the Time of Cholera (3 Million Sold Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 10 | 20 | 9787544291224 | 2017-08 | After School (2017 Edition) | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
Foreign Author Nonfiction Bestsellers, January 2022
| December 2021 Ranking | January 2022 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | 9787201161693 | 2020-08 | Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure | Robert de Board | Britain | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 2 | 2 | 9787111495482 | 2020-03 | The Courage to Be Disliked | Ichiro Kishimi | Japan | China Machine Press |
| 3 | 3 | 9787544276986 | 2019-10 | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | United States of America | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 4 | 4 | 9787550268517 | 2016-07 | Positive Discipline | Jane Nelsen | United States of America | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 6 | 5 | 9787540471194 | 2019-02 | Relationship: Bridge to the Soul | Christoper Moon | Canada | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 5 | 6 | 9787210096528 | 2017-09 | Mindset: The New Psychology of Success | Carol S. Dweck | United States of America | Jiangxi People’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 7 | 9787553522838 | 2021-06 | Maybe You Should Talk to Someone | Lori Gottlieb | United States of America | Shanghai Culture Publishing House |
| 15 | 8 | 9787108009821 | 2014-03 | 1587, a Year of No Significance | Ray Huang | United States of America | SDX Joint Publishing Company |
| 7 | 9 | 9787520711531 | 2019-11 | A Compass to Fulfillment | Kazuo Inamori | Japan | Orient Press |
| 8 | 10 | 9787508660752 | 2017-02 | Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari | Israel | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 9 | 11 | 9787540489304 | 2019-01 | Danshari | Eiko Yamashita | Japan | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 10 | 12 | 9787547734315 | 2019-09 | Life is Worth Living | Tsuneko Nakamura, Hiromi Okuda | Japan | Beijing daily publishing house |
| 18 | 13 | 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 | 14 | 9787301110522 | 2006-10 | A Global History: From Prehistory to the 21st Century (Vol.2) | L. S. Stavrianos | United States of America | Peking University Press |
| 13 | 15 | 9787020116133 | 2017-06 | Red Star Over China | Edgar Snow | United States of America | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 11 | 16 | 9787220114045 | 2019-07 | Rich Dad Poor Dad | Robert T.Kiyosaki | United States of America | Sichuan People’s Publishing House |
| 17 | 17 | 9787535732309 | 2001-11 | A Brief History of Time | Stephen W.Hawking | Britain | Hunan Science & Technology Press |
| 16 | 18 | 9787508095226 | 2018-09 | Nonviolent Communication | Marshall B.Rosenberg | United States of America | Huaxia Publishing House |
| 12 | 19 | 9787115536198 | 2020-05 | Heart: Kazuo Inamori’s Philosophy of Life | Kazuo Inamori | Japan | Posts & Telecommunications Publishing House |
| 19 | 20 | 9787508684031 | 2017-12 | Principles | Ray Dalio | 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, 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.
More from us on the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on international book publishing is here.