China has more than 560 publishing houses, publishing annually some 171,000 titles in 2002. The state has also planned important book publication projects and established prizes for excellent books to promote the development of the publishing industry. In the last 15 years of the 20th century, government awards were issued to nearly 1,200 books. Almost all major literary awards in China are named after Chinese master writers. For example, China's top literary award for novels is the Mao Dun Literary Award, named after Mao Dun (1896-1981), the critic, novelist and short-story writer noted for his commitment to the doctrine of realism.
In the past four or five years, hundreds of new magazines have appeared in China covering such subjects as auto sales, home furnishings, fashion, cultural and ethnic themes. The latest figures show as many as 9,029 periodicals with a print run totaling 2.95 billion. Besides reflecting general economic trends, the market for periodicals also has been driven by international interest following China's entry into the WTO. The International Data Group, a US technology publisher, is the first, and so far the most successful foreign publisher to invest in Chinese publications. The company has been involved in half of China's IT publications, including the popular China Computerworld. The Hearst Corporation, the US-based media group, is now teaming up with Chinese publisher Trends Publishing Co. to launch the Chinese edition of Cosmopolitan, Esquire and a series of other publications.
