Guangdong-Hong Kong Cultural Publishing Industry Collaborates to Create The Epic Story of China: 5000 Years of Chinese Civilization in Cultural Relics

On June 19， the 30th Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) opened at the National Convention Center. The new book release ceremony for The Epic Story of China: 5000 Years of Chinese Civilization in Cultural Relics(hereinafter referred to as The Epic Story of China)， hosted by Guangdong Publishing Group， Sino United Publishing (Holdings) Ltd.， Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Cultural and Educational Exchange Center， and the Hong Kong Publishing Federation， and organized by Guangdong Education Publishing House， was held during the fair.

Speeches were delivered by Wu Shulin， chairman of the Publishers Association of China; Tan Juntie， party secretary and chairman of Guangdong Publishing Group and Southern Publishing amp; Media; and Lee Ka Kui， president of the Hong Kong Publishing Federation and vice president of Sino United Publishing (Holdings) Ltd. Leaders from the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee， Guo Yiqiang， president of the China Book Review Society， and representatives from the Publicity Department of Guangdong Provincial Party Committee， Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region， Bauhinia Culture (Hong Kong) Holdings Limited， Sino United Publishing (Holdings) Ltd.， Guangdong Publishing Group， and Southern Publishing amp; Media attended the event. The guests collectively witnessed the launch of The Epic Story of China and showcased new achievements in Guangdong-Hong Kong campus historical and cultural exchanges. Additionally， an appointment ceremony for advisors to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Cultural and Educational Exchange Center was held.

The Epic Story of China is a richly illustrated popular science history book for young readers， featuring over 1，000 high-definition images that depict the development of Chinese civilization from prehistoric society to the Qing Dynasty. It contrasts the uniformity and uniqueness of Chinese civilization with other world civilizations through an archaeological perspective. Based on archaeological artifacts and meticulously written by experts in cultural relics， the book incorporates the latest archaeological findings， presenting a credible and vivid picture of ancient Chinese civilization， making it an excellent resource for promoting and preserving Chinese traditional culture and telling China’s story.

During the discussion session， Andrew Chan， permanent honorary president of the Hong Kong Publishing Federation and publishing advisor for The Epic Story of China， had an in-depth discussion with Zhang Qianyi， one of the book’s authors and a seasoned publisher. They highly praised the book for integrating recent archaeological findings and for its innovative approach of tracing Chinese civilization through artifacts. They believe the book plays a significant role in enhancing young people’s national pride and cultural confidence. Zhang Qianyi specifically mentioned that the rich archaeological discoveries and artifacts in The Epic Story of China could pique young readers’ curiosity， broaden their horizons， and draw them into the world of Chinese culture.

At the book fair， the exquisite and generous binding of The Epic Story of China attracted many readers. Several readers commented that the exquisite images in the book left a deep impression on them.

The book’s artifact images come from various sources， including the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics， the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences， the National Museum of China， and museums and archaeological research institutes across different provinces and regions. These first-hand precious artifact images outline a realistic picture of Chinese civilization. The book includes aerial photos of archaeological sites， historical restoration drawings， and conceptual drawings of ancient objects， combining historical culture with ancient technological knowledge to provide readers with a new perspective on history.

The book’s writing and publication process incorporated publishing experiences from Hong Kong and research on contemporary youth reading data and habits. The presentation of the book achieved detailed requirements such as enhancing image expressiveness， smooth and connected reading pathways， and clear segmentation of knowledge modules， resulting in a very satisfactory final product.

The Epic Story of China， co-produced by Guangdong Education Publishing House and The Commercial Press (Hong Kong)， is the latest achievement of the “Greater Bay Area Cooperative Publishing Program.” In recent years， the publishing industries of Guangdong and Hong Kong have cooperated under this program to publish a series of high-quality books， promoting cultural exchange. In addition to The Epic Story of China， Guangdong Education Publishing House has collaborated with the Hong Kong Publishing Federation， Hong Kong and Macau experts， scholars， and schools to plan and publish books such as Seeing Macau and Poetic Hong Kong and Macau， and to introduce books like Finding the Light in Children and Great Figures in Textbooks. They have also conducted the Cultural Roots in the Bay Area series of study tours， organizing interactive exchanges for students from Hong Kong and Macau to deeply experience the charm of cultural heritage in Guangdong， thereby strengthening the unity of the Greater Bay Area. The introducing traditional culture into Hong Kong campuses initiative has resulted in numerous Chinese history-themed events in several primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 5th anniversary of the release of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. At this commemorative juncture， The Epic Story of China， a masterpiece by Guangdong Education Publishing House leveraging the advantages of the Greater Bay Area， reflects the vitality and communicative power of Chinese civilization in the new era. It also plays a very positive role in promoting Bay Area publishing and creating a cultural Bay Area.