US publisher World Book has launched a state-approved version of
its 20-volume encyclopedia in China.
Published by Hainan Publishing House, the Chinese version of the
World Book Encyclopedia will be produced in Haikou, capital of
south China's Hainan Province, and sold for 5,800 yuan (US$750) a
set.
Hainan Publishing House signed an agreement on the publication
with the World Book Corporation in July 1997.
With approval of the State Copyright Administration, the
publisher organized 600 translators and editors to compile the
Chinese version over the past 10 years.
The encyclopedia sets comprises 26 million simplified
characters, 20,000 color illustrations and 1,300 maps, and will be
available in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan as well as the
mainland.
The publication would be in competition with the Chinese version
of Encyclopaedia Britannica first published in 1985, said Yuan
Dachuan, chief editor of the book.
The World Book Encyclopedia was first published in eight volumes
in 1917.
The international version of the encyclopedia was published in
1992. More than 3,800 experts and scholars have contributed to the
compilation with over 17,000 items.
(Xinhua News Agency April 10, 2007)