In its efforts to disseminate Chinese literature worldwide, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of the People’s Republic of China, has announced the expansion of the ‘Chinese Classics International Publication Project’ and the ‘Silk Road Books Project’ to support the translation of Chinese literary works into an array of different languages.
In making the announcement, the administration revealed that China exports and imports approximately 25,000 types of copyrights per year. This has led it to sign agreements with publishing houses in more than 50 countries around the world to translate literary classics, allowing readers to familiarise themselves with the most prevalent publications in China.
Several official bodies in China, notably the Ministry of Culture and the Chinese Writers Association – along with major publishing houses that have abundant financial resources – are working on training a group of talented people in the areas of translation and publishing to promote more and better quality translations of Chinese books. In addition to enabling translators and publishers to contribute to translation projects, the move aims to help the concerned bodies better assess the possibilities of distributing Chinese literary works in foreign markets.
