Learn Chinese with Me (Student's Book 1).	Learn Chinese with Me, Student's Book 3.	Chinese Culture Reader.

THE publishing industry is flourishing and becoming more and more dynamic in China today. Among the 500 publishing houses, the People’s Education Press (PEP), based in Beijng, is renowned both at home and abroad for its long historical tradition, extensive publishing record, and its invaluable cultural contributions.

PEP, as an agency of the Ministry of Education, is responsible for researching, writing, compiling, publishing, and distributing primary and secondary school textbooks and other educational materials. At the celebration of its 55th anniversary, the PEP received high praise from Chen Zhili, China’s State Councilor. Chen spoke about the dedication of the PEP as a professional, united, and creative force in the Chinese educational system. As the main researcher and publisher of primary and secondary school textbooks, the PEP has made undeniable contributions to improving the standard and quality of Chinese education. So far, the PEP has written and published a total of ten sets of textbooks that are used in classrooms nationwide.

In recent years, due to the pace of China’s economic development, there has been a strong global interest in learning Chinese. The PEP has undertaken the mission of writing and publishing Chinese teaching materials as a way to introduce Chinese culture to the world. The series of textbooks such as Standard Chinese, Happy Chinese and Learn Chinese with Me, along with other multimedia materials, represent a brand-new teaching concept that provides a high quality learning program for children and adults overseas. These texts are also published in English, French, Japanese and other major languages. Learn Chinese with Me has also been approved and recommended by the Utah State Textbook Commission. A Korean publisher has shown interest in purchasing the copyright of Standard Chinese as these and other titles from the PEP are starting to draw attention from overseas publishing houses.

In support of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the PEP has prepared Chinese 2008, a five-volume text with eight bilingual editions: Chinese-English, Chinese-Japanese, Chinese-Korean, Chinese-French, Chinese-German, Chinese-Russian, Chinese-Spanish and Chinese-Arabic. This text is a practical communication handbook designed for foreigners traveling to China during the Olympics Games. Another excellent volume is the Chinese Culture Reader, designed to introduce both traditional Chinese history and modern Chinese culture to young readers at an intermediate reading level. The Chinese Culture Reader provides a general introduction of China, along with sections on Chinese language and characters, scenic spots, technology and international exchanges. Within each section, there are also chapters divided into “Information,” “Data,” “Reading,” and “Practice.” The “Information,” “Data,” and “Essay Reading” sections offer different approaches for the reader while the “Practice” chapter is designed to emphasize interaction with the reading material through set questions. These new books will be released at the 14th Beijing International Book Fair, the 20th Moscow International Book Fair, and the 59th Frankfurt Book Fair.

As a professional educational press, the PEP has also published a great deal of texts on education, addressing a wide range of pedagogical approaches. Books such as Educational Management, China Psychology History, and Educational Psychology reflect both the theoretical and practical accomplishments of Chinese educators and scholars in this field. These texts have been awarded various national book prizes. It is often said that you can learn a lot about a country through the history of its education. Perhaps this is the reason that the series of educational works published by the PEP is beginning to draw worldwide attention. Publishing companies in Japan, India, Singapore and Vietnam have begun to introduce these books into their own countries.

Other titles complied and published by the PEP that have attracted a wide range of readers in recent years include Mottoes on Chinese Traditional Virtues and Stories of 100 Chinese Ancient Scientists.

Since the 1980s, the PEP has cooperated with various international associations with the aim to enrich human knowledge and to improve publishing resources. As a distinguished representative of publishing in China, the PEP has participated in many projects, working with international organizations such as the United Nations Children's Fund, United Nations Population Fund, United Nations Development Program, UNESCO and the World Bank. Furthermore, the PEP has developed projects with over 20 international presses and educational research institutions at home and abroad. These include the Pearson Education Group, Thomson Learning and Lingo Media Ltd. These projects have all achieved great success.

These increased international exchanges will allow the PEP to continue to contribute to the global knowledge industry while building a bridge between China and the world in the 21st century.