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Translated works of former leaders hailed at book fair

By Mu Qian (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-16 07:16

FRANKFURT, Germany: The English version of works by two former Chinese leaders, Jiang Zemin and Li Lanqing, debuted on Wednesday at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Two books by former president Jiang Zemin - titled On Development of China's Information Technology Industry, and Research on China's Energy Problem - were published by Elsevier Publishing Group with approval by the Central Party Literature Publishing House and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press.

Former vice-premier Li Lanqing's book, titled Breaking Through: the Birth of China's Opening-Up Policy, was published by Oxford University Press and includes some 330 declassified files, documents and handwritten scripts.

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Jiang's book on China's IT growth collects 27 of his published theses, reports, speeches and articles written between 1983 and 2008, as well as two appendixes, many of which were published for the first time.

The second book, Research on China's Energy Problem, was edited by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and contains Jiang's theses and three lectures.

The Chinese versions of the works were released within the past year in China and the English translations were hailed at the debut ceremony of the Frankfurt fair, the world's biggest book fair.

Speaking at the ceremony, Leng Rong, director of Party Literature Research Center of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and one of the editors of the works, spoke highly of the books.

"Jiang's two books provide us with an understanding about his insights as well as his theoretical explorations," he said.

Elsevier, one of the world's largest publishers of books of science and technology, released the speeches of Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s, and the company's managing director of science and technology Jim Donohue said that they are continuing that honor this year by publishing Jiang's books.

"These two books will provide thoughtful and very important knowledge to readers and we are honored to have been given the opportunity to publish these works in English," he said.

Li's Breaking Through, first published in Chinese last year as a commemoration of the 30th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up policy, is informed not only by Li's personal experience as a trailblazer and decision-maker.

"By normal publishing timeframes this has all come about rather quickly following the publication of the book in its original Chinese version last year," said Nigel Portwood, chief executive of Oxford University Press.

Portwood said he believed that the book would attract not only scholars but also ordinary readers who want to know more about China's rapid economic rise over the past 30 years.

The publication of this book reflects a growing desire in the world to know more about China, he added.

Wu Shulin, deputy director of the General Administration of Press and Publication of China, said at the debut ceremony that the book will help foreign readers get a better understanding of China's reform.

Xinhua contributed to the story