Chinas Publishing Industry: From Mao to the Market

China's Publishing Industry: From Mao to the Market takes a long view in understanding the profound changes to China's publishing industry, covering a period from the 'socialist transformation' under Mao to more recent reforms. The book investigates the impact of the changing social, economic and ideological environment on the structure and operation of the industry, also exploring how the burgeoning digital publishing business is shaped by the broader social context. In addition, it reveals that the process of commercialization in China's publishing industry has been marked by persistent tensions and contradictions, using case studies to demonstrate how tensions have impacted everyday practices.

Provides contemporary information on China's publishing industryPresents a clear overview of trends and explains their fundamental dynamicsGives an analytic account, demonstrating the interaction between the broader social context and the publishing industryExplains the legacies of the old system, the predicaments inherent in the current industry, and the limits of ongoing reformsUses detailed case studies to illustrate how a typical state publishing group operates and copes with the demands from the party, pressure from the market, and the challenge posed by digital technology

1. Introduction 2. Mapping Book Publishing in China 3. From Communization to Commercialization: China’s Publishing From 1949 to 1992 4. Ideology and the Commercialization of Book Publishing in China 5. Conglomeration: The Formation of Publishing Groups 6. Corporatization: The Transition to Enterprises 7. Digital Publishing: Challenges and Opportunities 8. Politics, Profit and Digital Prospect: Guangdong Provincial Publishing Group as a Case