SCIENCE books win big at this year’s Wenjin award.

This year marks the 140th anniversary of Albert Einstein’s birth. The Chinese edition of the German-born iconic physicist’s book, “Mein Weltbild” (“My Worldview”), was listed among top 10 winners for this year’s Wenjin Book Award, an important prize in China. The list was made public in late April.

The Chinese edition, published by Beijing-based China CITIC Press, is based on the original 1953 German edition. More than 20 of Einstein’s other essays, which have not been published in Chinese previously, are included to show his thoughts on subjects ranging from life to science, education, religion, war and key social issues of his time.

“Einstein was a great scientist about whom everyone knows,” says Wang Qiang, deputy editor-in-chief of China CITIC Press and chief editor of the Chinese book. “But few (in China) know his in-depth thoughts.”

With this book, more of the general public in China will have access to Einstein’s essays, Wang adds.

“Earlier, when people read about Einstein, they actually read other people’s opinion of him.”

The Wenjin Book Award has been given out annually by the National Library of China since 2004. The prize is based on recommendations from librarians, publishers, scholars and the media, and selected through rounds of evaluation by a 40-member panel. The book prize is considered to have the widest public participation in China.

Qian Xun, 86, a Confucian philosopher, emphasizes the importance of reading about “original classics.”

“Today’s people sometimes seem too busy to read,” he said at the award ceremony. “When they have time, they prefer to attend lectures, where scholars share their ideas. However, reading can never be replaced by lectures. When you apply your own thinking while reading, you can really absorb the meaning of words of masters (such as Confucius), more than you can when told by others.”

“Reading the classics” is a theme advocated by the National Library of China for this year’s World Book and Copyright Day.

Other winners of this year’s Wenjin award have also made important observations across a range of subjects.

For example, in “Ten Lectures on Chinese Characters and Chinese Culture,” the author Wang Ning tries to trace how Chinese culture spread overseas over the course of history through the writing system and its derivative fine art forms of calligraphy and seal-cutting.

“Studies of Pictorials in the Late Qing Dynasty,” written by Chen Pingyuan, takes readers through more than 300 pictorials from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. The book is put in the context of the communication between China and the West at that time, and offers glimpses of early modern newspapers, missionaries, feminism and other social trends.

“The success of pictorials depended on their news value,” Bu, the book reviewer, says. “They provide a much broader view of that period in history. They document the changes taking place then.”

Rao Quan, director of the National Library of China, says the award aims to promote reading and to “stay close to readers” to improve the public’s scientific and humanistic literacy.

Now in its 14th edition this year, the award nominated 1,562 books published in 2018 in three categories: social sciences, popular science and children’s books. The number has set a new record. Books from 224 publishing houses were included in this year’s award, a 40 percent rise over last year.

(SD-Agencies)