The Governance of China

The Governance of China is a Chinese political book in two volumes written by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party and current paramount leader of China. The first volume was published in 2014, and the second volume was published in 2017. The work is a collection of several dozen speeches and writings by Xi on a variety of topics, which present an official party line for China's development in the 21st century.[1][2] In these respects, Governance of China is a literary successor to Chairman Mao Zedong's Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung.[3]

"Governance of China" redirects here. For the governing body, see Government of China.

The Governance of China
English copies of The Governance of China
EditorsState Council Information Office, Party Literature Research Office of CPCCC), China International Publishing Group
AuthorXi Jinping
Original title习近平谈治国理政
CountryMainland China
LanguageSimplified Chinese, English, Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, others
GenrePolitics
PublisherForeign Languages Press
Publication date
2014, 2017
Published in English
2014, 2017
Media typePrint (Hardcover, Paperback)
Pages515 (V.I), 620 (V.II)
ISBN978-7-119-09023-8 (Vol. I)
Website"china.org.cn".
This article is part of a series about
Xi Jinping

Paramount leader of China
　

Synopsis

Governance of China consists of 178 pieces, organized thematically into 35 chapters.[lower-alpha 1] Both of the work's volumes were edited by three entities: the State Council Information Office, the Party Literature Research Office (of the CPC Central Committee), and the China International Publishing Group.[6][7] The volumes are also interspersed with photography of Xi, depicting him "at work and in daily life".[6][lower-alpha 2]

The text articulates Xi Jinping Thought, Xi's political philosophy, as it relates to large-scale political issues concerning China including economics, domestic politics, international relations, infrastructure, technology, environmentalism, peaceful co-existence, and the military. Volume I also contains an appendix which is a political biography of Xi.

Release
The Governance of China in different languages presented at Shanghai Library

Both volumes of Governance of China were formally presented to western audiences at the London Book Fair upon their releases,[3][8] and both volumes have been translated into other major languages apart from Chinese, including English, Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.[9][10]

Digital versions of volume I in Chinese and English are available on digital trade platforms including Amazon, OverDrive, CNPeReading and iReader.[11]

Reception

Reviews of Governance of China have been mixed, including positive reception from Chinese officials,[12] measured praise from non-Chinese leaders,[13] and negative reviews in Western media, where the work is sometimes regarded as propaganda.[14][15] Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is reported to have read the book, and to have ordered copies for the company's employees. Zuckerberg's interest in the book has been interpreted as a vested interest; Facebook is blocked in China, and if the block were lifted, the potential result would be a dramatic increase in Facebook's userbase.[15]

Although Chinese media have reported global circulation numbers for the book's volumes on the order of several million copies,[9][13] Western media have also reported very low sales numbers for the work in Western countries.[13][16] "There may not be very many readers outside China. The publisher claims the second volume has a global circulation of 13 million. But, according to Scott Morton of Nielsen Bookscan, a data provider, fewer than 100 copies of the English-language version of the second volume have actually been sold in Britain since it was published in November. Sales are slightly higher in Australia, at 124. The first volume has not performed much better: 588 copies in Britain and 430 in Australia."[13] It is likely that freebies of both volumes hugely exceed the number of copies sold to individuals.

See also

Notes
  1. Volume I has 79 pieces spread across 18 chapters,[4] while volume II has 99 pieces spread across 17 chapters.[5]
  2. Volume I includes 45 photographs of Xi,[6] while volume II includes 29 photographs of him.[7]

References
  1. Xi, Jinping (2014). The Governance of China (Volume I). Foreign Languages Press. ISBN 978-7-119-09057-3. English paperback edition.
  2. Xi, Jinping (2017). The Governance of China (Volume II). Foreign Languages Press. ISBN 9787119111636. English paperback edition.
  3. Wasserstrom, Jeffrey (15 May 2018). "From the Little Red Book to the Big White one". Times Literary Supplement.
  4. "First volume of Xi's book on governance republished". china.org.cn.
  5. "About the Book". china.org.cn.
  6. Governance I, publisher's note.
  7. Governance II, publisher's note.
  8. "Helping with the book launch of The Governance of China by Xi Jinping". Global China Dialogue. 2015.
  9. "Influence of Xi Jinping book spreads with editions in more languages". The Telegraph; China Daily. 24 May 2017.
  10. Jessup, Catherine (11 April 2018). "Second volume of Xi Jinping's book launched in eight foreign languages". gbtimes.
  11. "Chinese, English editions of Xi's book on governance of country go digital". Xinhua. 6 July 2018.
  12. "Wang Huning stresses importance of Xi's second book on governance". china.org.cn. 22 December 2017.
  13. "Xi Jinping's new blockbuster is getting a hard sell". The Economist. 26 April 2018.
  14. Allen-Ebrahimian, Bethany (5 February 2015). "We Read Xi Jinping's Book So You Don't Have To". Foreign Policy.
  15. Hernandez, Alex (8 December 2014). "Mark Zuckerberg Reportedly Buying 'The Governance of China' For Employees". Techaeris.
  16. Beech, Hannah (20 April 2015). "Is Chinese President Xi Jinping's Book of Speeches Really a Best Seller?". Time.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.