AMAZON China unveiled the list of the best-selling books in China for 2017 in late December 2017, giving insight into Chinese people’s reading habits. The list included bestsellers both in print and as Kindle e-books.

The first three places for print paperback and hardcover books were taken by Japanese author Keigo Higashino’s “Miracles of the Namiya General Store,” late Chinese writer Yang Jiang’s “We Three” and “Pete the Cat” by Eric Litwin.

Reading preferences on the portable Kindle, however, were a bit different. The top three most popular priced e-books were Chinese science fiction writer Liu Cixin’s “The Three-Body” trilogy, “Miracles of the Namiya General Store” by Keigo Higashino, and “The Complete Sherlock Holmes” by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Popular films and TV series have prompted a surge in sales of books, such as “In the Name of the People” and “Murder on the Orient Express.”

“In the Name of the People,” an anti-corruption novel by Chinese author Zhou Meisen, ranked fourth on Kindle’s paid e-books list, thanks to its smash TV adaptation, aired from March to April. Statistics show purchases of the book’s digital version increased 24-fold three months after its screening, and printed copies surged 12-fold.

Jia Pingwa the most

influential writer overseas

Amazon named Chinese author Jia Pingwa the “most influential Chinese author overseas.”

In August, the e-commerce giant published “Happy Dreams,” the English version of Jia’s novel “Gaoxing.” The print version and e-book were released simultaneously, enabling readers in more than 180 countries to access the novel.

Published in 2007, “Happy Dreams” depicts the bitter experiences of Chinese migrant worker Liu Gaoxing who comes from rural Shaanxi Province to seek a living in a city.

Chinese digital readership has continued to grow.

Statistics show China’s digital readers base have surpassed 300 million and paid online content has become a new growth point in the country’s consumption culture.

The Chinese Academy of Press and Publications said the average Chinese adult read 7.86 books in 2016, a mild increase from 2015. Among them, 4.65 were print books and 3.21 e-books.

(China Daily)