PRESTIGIOUS Chinese publisher Zhonghua Book Co., well-known for its publications of ancient history and cultural classics, has turned 100.

    The company began compiling the 8-million-character “Chinese Lexicographic Encyclopedia” (“Cihai”) four years after its founding in 1912, then brought the most authoritative Chinese language reference tool to shelves in 1936.

    After a 20-year effort culminating in 1978, Zhonghua published the fully annotated version of “The Twenty-Four Histories,” a coolection of ancient books recounting China’s 4,000-plus-year history.

    Struggling to survive amid tough market competition, the publishing giant started to introduce more books targeted at common readers in 2003, a move that’s helped spur public passion for historical books, said Li Yan, Zhonghua’s general manager.

    Aiming to develop into a provider of content that’s influential, traditional and cultural, Zhonghua has reaped a good harvest after increasing its efforts to popularize traditional culture books in recent years, Li said in an interview.

    Yan Chongnian’s “True Stories of the 12 Qing Emperors,” a work of nonfiction about 12 emperors of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), launched in 2004, had sold half a million copies as of February, putting it among the publisher’s bestsellers.

    The company has also sold 5.6 million copies of Yu Dan’s “Confucius From the Heart: Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World” since its first printing in 2006. The book recounts the female scholar’s personal views of, and research into, “The Analects of Confucius,” a tome featuring the sayings of ancient philosopher Confucius (551-479 B.C.) and his students. (Xinhua)