Telling Chinese Stories

　　From 1949， when the People’s Republic of China was founded， overseas Chinese-language bookstores have continuously projected the country’s image， exerted significant influence over thinking sections， and reached a wide audience. Over the past 66 years， through the distribution networks of Chinese books and periodicals in more than 180 countries， more than 1.4 billion people around the world have read Chinese books， which deepened their understanding of the country.

　　In November this year， “2015 - You Bring Charm to China” award ceremony was held at the Peking University Hall to honor seven overseas Chinese bookstores， which have been in business for a long time. They are： Guanghwa Company in London， Phoenix Bookstore and Librairie You Feng in Paris， China Books in San Francisco， Uchiyama Bookstore in Tokyo， China Books in Sydney and Melbourne， and Wenchang Bookstore in Sao Paulo.

　　It was to make China more visible and its voices heard by more people that overseas Chinese bookstores were set up. It is through these stores that Chinese books have been introduced around the world.

　　Founded in 1971， Guanghwa was once the only bookstore where people could get Chinese books in Britain. Almost all sinologists in UK were friends of the store owner， Deng Jiaxiang. From 1970s to 1980s， almost all Chinese-language books shipped to London by China Post were carried to the store by Deng himself.

　　In the United States， China Books， founded by the Noyes family， was one of the very few places where Americans could get a glimpse of China before the two countries broke the ice in their relations in 1970s. The Noyes family feels greatly attached to China. The first generation， missionaries Dr. Henry V. Noyes and his younger sister Harriet Newell Noyes， landed in China in 1868， and established the Guangzhou-based Pui Ying Middle School and True Light Middle School， the first women’s school in Guangdong Province. And， China Books was opened in Chicago in 1960 by Dr. Henry Halsey Noyes（1910?C2004）， who was born in Guangzhou. After President Richard Nixon’s groundbreaking visit to China in 1972， subscribers to Chinese periodicals in the United States， at one time， soared to 25，000； and， China Books had the largest market share.

　　The Paris-based Phoenix Bookstore was founded in 1964. Its owner， Régis Bergeron， was among the earliest from France to be invited to work in the People’s Republic. He taught contemporary French Literature at Peking University， and worked as a French editor for China International Publishing Group （CIPG）. Today， the bookstore is still disseminating information on China to readers in France. In 2009， the store was given the“Excellent Independent Bookstore” award by France’s Ministry of Culture.

　　Thanks to the efforts of these bookstores to spread Chinese literature and culture， more foreign readers have had a chance to get a true picture of China.“These stores have greatly promoted communication between Chinese culture and local cultures，” said CIPG President Zhou Mingwei in an interview. “Without these bookstores， it was difficult for outsiders to know the essence of Chinese civilization. If we combine the spreading of Chinese culture with felt need of local audiences， I am sure China will do better in terms of international cultural exchange.”