CRI听力:Chinese Literature for Kids Opens A Global Chapter

A Feather, a picture book by two veteran authors - a writer from China and a writer-cum-illustrator from Brazil, has wowed young readers around the globe.

The China Children's Press and Publication Group launched the Chinese version of the book written by Cao Wenxuan and illustrated by Brazilian Roger Mello in 2013.

Also in the same year, the group has joined the Bologna Children's Book Fair held in Italy.

And President Li Xueqian describes their participation a milestone in the publication group's history, and a chance to discover that a number of Chinese authors can be well received overseas.

"Some of Chinese authors of kids' literature have aroused intense interest from publishers of those European nations which are widely recognized as big powers in the publishing industry. France, Germany and Denmark have all introduced "A Feather" by Chinese veteran writer Cao Wenxuan." 

Li Xueqian, President of the China Children's Press and Publication Group, spoke about the development of Chinese literature for kids on January 8, 2015, during the Beijing Book Fair. [Photo: ccppg.com.cn]

The China Children's Press and Publication Group is the largest children's press and publication house in China. In 2012, the net profit that the group earned from its publications exceeded 50-million yuan or eight million US dollars.

However, Li and his colleagues donot rest on their laurels in the domestic market. They hope they could set their eyes beyond borders as Li Xueqian explains.

"We have hired international specialists to work as our advisors, like former president of International Board on Books for Young People Patricia Aldana. Through their assistance, a group of authors and illustrators have been well influenced to support our entry into international market. If our efforts could be sustained for years, Chinese literature for kids will hopefully be expected to enjoy an increasing level of popularity worldwide."

In addition to A Feather, China has, in fact, witnessed its seeds of cooperation between domestic writers and foreign illustrators grow and blossom more recently. How to Teach an Elephant to Jump is a witty tale written by China's Xiao Mao and illustrated by Yusof Gajah, from Malaysia.

Also, Grandma Lives in Fragrance Village is another piece of collaborative work by author Fang Su-chen from Taiwan and illustrator Sonja Danowski from Germany.

There are many more such examples of successful cooperation, which leads Li Xueqian to believe that local publishers may exert a big role in promoting such cooperation.

"I feel those who know the foreign market most are local publishers. As soon as they get a book, they would know whether local readers would be interested in it or not. We are now establishing channels of marketing through the publishers we cooperate with."

In an exclusive interview with CRI, Li has expressed his idea that book firms in China should take an active attitude in exploring the international market. By citing their introduction of The Adventures of Tintin, the most popular European comics of the 20th century, to young Chinese readers as an example, Li explains that 60-percent of profits from publishing this book going to that book copyright exporter.

Apart from the big profits from copyright trade export, which usually take up a big portion of international publishers' business volume, Li Xueqian believes Chinese publishers should go out to bring the Chinese classics to young readers all over the world with some government support.

"An enterprise should carefully consider those approaches to maximize the brand name and value of intellectual property rights. Meanwhile, we also long for the government support particularly in the phase of market exploration. At the very beginning, enterprises that go overseas for holding an expo would usually lead to financial losses. Hence if our government mulls relevant supportive policies, it would undoubtedly activate publishing houses in their efforts of exploring international market."

For Studio Plus, I'm Xu Fei.