In China, an interesting new fiction bestseller is mixed with nonfiction and become a point of debate among Chinese readers. In illustrated books, a title for only children has a touching message.
On the banks of the Yangtze in Wuhan, a February 14 shot of citizens out for celebrations of the Lunar New Year, the Year of the Ox. Image – iStockphoto: Julien Viry
Controversy Sells
There were six new titles on the Beijing OpenBook overall bestseller list in fiction in January, and in three cases, they moved quite quickly by this market’s standards, having been published within three months of their arrivals on the chart.
A mix of classics and newcomers makes up the bestseller lists from December in China, with the approach of the Lunar New Year in February starting to lift sales of ‘Our New Year.’
On Shanghai’s Yingao West Road in the city’s Baoshan district, January 31. Image – iStockphoto: Scqbj-Jz
A Presidential Release and Traditional Favorites
In the last month of 2020, China’s bestseller lists were reflecting that duality of interest familiar to Publishing Perspectives readers a kind of tension between the market’s appreciation for classic literature and contemporary popular novels.
‘Sit for a While Tea House’ by Jia Pingwa