ABOUT US

Encyclopedia of China Publishing House

Introduction

Encyclopedia of China Publishing House (ECPH) was formally established on November 18, 1978 with the approval of the State Council. After 40 years of development, it has become a nationally prestigious major publishing house ,notable for publishing encyclopedias and other reference books,  as well as  academic works and non-fiction popular readings. It has two imprints: Knowledge Publishing House and China Encyclopedia Electronic & Audiovisual Publishing House. It also publishes a number of journals such as the Encyclopedic Knowledge and Encyclopedia Forum.

The establishment of ECPH in 1978 originated from a far-reaching cultural project in China – the Encyclopedia of China. It is a fundamental and iconic cultural publishing project since China’s reform and opening-up. It received nationwide concern and support. Deng Xiaoping personally inscribed the name of the publishing house. Jiang Zemin participated in the publishing seminar of the publishing house. Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao gave written instructions on the development of the publishing house. In 1993, the first edition was completed , which is a significant event marking the ending of the history of China without an encyclopedia and the erecting of a culture monument of China. The second edition was published in 2009 in line with international practice, further highlighting the national cultural brand. The publication of the Encyclopedia of China is an important symbol of the great development and prosperity of Chinese culture, providing the tremendous intellectual support for China’s reform, opening up, economic development and social progress. And this grand book is a great contribution to the human civilization by Chinese people.

In addition, ECPH translated and published Encyclopaedia Britannica(Concise Edition/International Chinese Edition).This is a significant culture project between China and the U.S.  after China’s reform and opening-up. It has also published more than one hundred professional encyclopedias on specific subjects, such as Encyclopedia of Peking Opera, Encyclopedia of Music, and Encyclopedia of China-India Cultural Contacts, etc. With its encyclopedic resources and pioneering spirits, it has produced more than a dozen series of children’s encyclopedias covering various subjects for different age groups, In the mean time ECPH also translated and published more than one hundred DK titles that sold well all through the country. It also established a number of influential brand series.

ECPH is also one of the publishers opening up the way to digital publishing in China. In 1998, the Encyclopedia Terminology Center was established and the Chinese Encyclopedia Terminology Database Project was developed. From 2001 to 2011, depending on the terminology database, ECPH successively developed graphic data CD version, online version and database version. In 2011, the third edition of the Encyclopedia of China was initiated. It aims to build into a large-scale national knowledge service platform to meet the needs of the digital age.

ECPH has always been active in international cooperation and exchange. We have established partnership with publishers from more than 20 countries such as US, Britain, Germany, Australia, Canada, Russia, Japan, Korea, Egypt, etc. In recent years, we have more partners from emerging markets along the Belt and Road, such as Poland, India, Tunisia, Mongolia, Vietnam, Romania, etc. Books in such categories as encyclopedia, children’s non-fictions, literature, and China-themed publicationshave drawn attention from overseas partners. The rights of many titles have been sold to nearly 20 languages including English, Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Mongolian, Romanian, etc.

Since 1993, more than 300 titles offered by ECPH have won over 300 important awards including Chinese Government Awards for Publication, National Best Publication Prizes, National Best Lexicographical Works, National Awards for Electronic Publications, Chinese Best Publications and National Prize for Progress in Science and Technology.

In recent years, ECPH has won many honors. Here listed a few of them: in 2009, National Top 100 Publishers; in 2013,  one of Best Publishers in China; and the same year, Pilot Publisher for Digital Transition by SARFT;in 2014, the Top 100 Publishers of China Publishing Group;in 2016, the title of National Advanced Unit for Press and Publication Standardization; and the same year, honor of The Most Influential Enterprises on Copyright Exchange in China; from 2012 to 2018,the National Major Enterprises of Cultural Export; in 2017, the National  Pilot Publisher on Copyright Trade; and the same year, the Beijing Award for Rewarding Original Publication Copyright Trade for Promoting the International Communication of the Publishing Industry. 

Message from the President

As China celebrates the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening-up, the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House (ECPH) also celebrates its 40th birthday. This is a major event that all the staff are excited about and proud of. In November 1978, ECPH, established with the approval of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, strove hard to undertake the historical mission of compiling and publishing the Encyclopedia of China. Headquartered in Beijing, it built a branch office and printing factory in Shanghai. Deng Xiaoping personally inscribed the name for the publishing house.

Under way of China’s reform and opening-up over 40 years, ECPH with its pioneering spirits, has also met its self-surpassing time and time again. Just like the publication of any other encyclopedias, the compiling and publishing of the Encyclopedia of China is an arduous process: from 1978 to 1993, the editorial staff endured great hardships and finally published the first edition of 74 volumes, marking the ending of a history of China without an encyclopedia and the beginning of Chinese people’s construction of their own modern knowledge system . From 1993 to 2009, the staff continually devoted themselves to the great work of the second edition of 32 volumes, compiling it on a par with the international practice. It became a new-generation encyclopedia representing the Chinese scientific and cultural progress in the 21st century. In 2011, the third edition was set up with the official approval of the State Council. Since the project’s beginning in 2014, the editorial staff, once again, has stepped on their new and long journey to create a wholly new encyclopedia to build up a national knowledge service platform in the digital era. We are on our way to accomplish the new mission.

The publication of the Encyclopedia of China has opened up modern encyclopedia undertaking in China. It has been providing authoritative and accurate resource and intellectual services for the whole country. The process of compiling one encyclopedia after another, either comprehensive encyclopedia, professional encyclopedias or ,regional encyclopedias, is just like the process of building a tower of encyclopedia. At the same time, we also completed the publication of the Chinese version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the first cultural exchange and cooperation project after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States.

Faced with the digital and market transformation in the last century, ECPH, with its rich accumulated resources, has been exploring new ways to spread academic and popular knowledge by publishing various academic works, popular readings and building up the only large-scale comprehensive multi-functional encyclopedic terminology database in China. Hence, ECPH has become the forerunner to employ modern technology and multimedia publishing means. In the new era, the ambitious ECPH staff have come up with a more ambitious development strategy: fly with two wings, one is to promote the construction of major publishing projects by constructing knowledge service platform for China’s cultural and technology development and knowledge spreading; and the other is to adopt market-oriented operation, which means to optimize its products and establish well-known book brands.

Since 1993, the encyclopedia publications have won nearly 300 major awards including National Best Publication Prizes, National Best Lexicographical Works, Chinese Government Awards for Publication, Chinese Best Publications, and National Prizes for Progress in Science and Technology. It was rated as one of the first batch of Chinese Top 100 Publishers, one of Best Publishers in China, Pilot Publisher for Digital Transition, the Most Influential Enterprises on Copyright Exchange in China, National Enterprises of Cultural Export, and Pilot Publisher on Copyright Trade. These honors represent the fruits of the hard work of generations of ECPH staff, highlighting the brilliant achievements on the 40th anniversary of the Publishing House.

Moving its office from several bungalows at Zongbu Hutong (Lane) in Dongdan, to the courtyard at No. 17 Shijia Hutong, to that at No.1 Waiguan East Street, and now to the editorial building at No. 17 Fuchengmen Beidajie, ECPH has now become a splendid cultural landmark nearby Fuchengmen. Outside the building is the hustle and bustle world; but inside, our staff is dedicating themselves to encyclopedic undertakings in their peaceful and resolute minds. This is what we called ECPH spirit: persistent patriotism, noble collectivism, entrepreneurship, seeking truth and science and selfless dedication. It will inspire generations of ECPH staff to work hard for the cause of encyclopedia, and extend the glory in the new era!