Leading US retailer launches 'special section' for China-themed books

Flipping through a book on Chinese acupuncture, Mattoon told Xinhua that she was most interested in books on traditional Chinese medicine as they could help fix her own health issues. Starting from May 10, some 2,000 copies of 85 titles by Chinese authors or on China, many of them translated and released by major foreign publishers, are on display and being sold in the Barnes & Noble outlet, which is the second largest in New York with about 2, 000 square meters of floor space, according to China National Publications Import and Export (Group) Corporation (CNPIEC), the Chinese coordinator for the event.

"It is our first attempt to promote China-themed books through pure commercial channel in a major developed nation," said Lin Liying, a senior manager with CNPIEC.

These books, carefully selected by Barnes & Noble and CNPIEC cover a wide range of areas, such as politics, economy, culture, traditions, and contemporary literature, Lin said.

On Tuesday afternoon, a Chinese delegation led by Wu Shangzhi, a senior official overseeing China's media and publication industry, toured the bookstore, causing a little stir in the usually quiet space.

The "special section" offered a chance for American readers to get in direct contact with China-themed books, said Wu, adding that the event also reflects Chinese books' increasing presence in the overseas market.

While there have always been China-related books for sale in the store, they are scattered on different shelves by their categories, so it's obviously nicer to put them together in a "curated collection," said a store clerk who didn't want to be named.

"I heard that Mo Yan's Frog is a very good novel, and it's already on my reading list," she noted, referring to one of the books on display.

"I have a friend who was also very interested in Chinese culture. I'm sure she have been here, she probably bought many of these books," said Mattoon, the customer.

While refusing to reveal any sales figures or giving specific comments, Paul, the manager, said the store would be "very interested in discussing further cooperation" with the Chinese side after the event.

And for CNPIEC, profit doesn't seem to be a primary concern, at least for now.

"The event will help us get the real feedback of American readers. After knowing which book is popular, we can make adjustments back at home so that our publishing industry could meet international standards and our books could go down well with foreign readers," Lin said.