Caretaker's mission

In the 1980s, Yang worked at a Hunan publishing house and picked up some bookbinding and design skills. He became a graphic designer in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, in the 1990s. The experiences of his past helped him start to publish his own books.

As an independent publisher, Yang says that nowadays the Chinese publishers put too much emphasis on the low prices of books to promote sales but neglect the quality. Therefore, publishers in China reprint a lot, which is not only a great waste of resources but also, the low quality of books make it hard for buyers to pass them on to the next generation.

Yang has published eight books, of which two titles are in bookstores. One is a novel and the remaining five are collections of his book reviews and stories behind the publishing process of one of his books.

All of them are only available in hardcover editions with fine gilding, he says, adding that one of them even uses sheepskin for the cover, which is a common practice in Europe but rare in China's publishing industry.

A well-designed book is like a work of art, Yang says.

"When people put it on the shelf after reading, it becomes a decoration that adds to the cultural ambience of one's room, and when people pass it to the next generation or give it to friends, the book's value appreciates even more."