Briefly

Fortress Besieged in audio form

"Marriage is like a fortress besieged: Those who are outside want to get in, and those who are inside want to get out" is the French proverb that inspired master Qian Zhongshu's (1910-98) literary classic of the 20th century, Fortress Besieged. Ever since the novel started being reprinted in China in the 1980s, it has sold 10 million copies in total, according to the publisher. The work, which is a satirical story of a man returning to China with a fake degree certificate, began to gain more popularity after a TV series based on it was aired in the 1990s. The work is now also being offered as an audio book made by veteran radio broadcasters. An English version of the book is also available.

Zhejiang in the spotlight

The China Social Sciences Press in November released a set of 11 books titled Serial Study on Zhejiang Province in 40 Years of Reform and Opening-up, summarizing the work in the province over four decades. The province is seen as crucial in forming President Xi Jinping's thoughts on governance, as Xi was Party chief in the province from 2002 to 2007. The series looks at industrial upgrading, rural construction, State-owned enterprises, and Party management in the province, as well as its overall development. Zhejiang was the fourth in the country in terms of its GDP in 2017, while back in 1978, when the reform and opening-up started, it was in the 12th place.

Art history for museumgoers

The book, Happy Museum Collection: The Little Masters, is a collection of 20 handbooks on 20 art masters, with stories, anecdotes and key words from their lives and creations. The masters featured include Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, Auguste Rodin, Johannes Vermeer and Katsushika Hokusai. It's a best-selling series in more than 10 languages and has sold 800,000 copies worldwide. The Chinese version was released by Qingdao Publishing House in November. The Belgian author Catherine de Duve has produced more than 85 books on art and culture. And after working with organizations such as the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, she set up a publishing house that aims to make art accessible to children and their families.