Cross-cultural 'baby'

Wu says they communicated a lot as Bourne traveled to China regularly.

Related: Journey to the West

"Our views on life are generally similar," Bourne says, adding that Wu's approach is largely influenced by Party ideas and Chinese philosophy, while his is more centered on life experiences and stories.

Naturally, they do not see eye-to-eye on certain matters. Wu says that's caused by the cultural differences, while Bourne adds that they differ in character: "She's sensible, and me, a little bit crazy."

The authors' first disagreement happened when they were working on their "first baby", the four-volume The History of Chinese Civilization, which was the first of the Cambridge China Library series. They had differing views on whether to keep the sections on Marxist historical theories.

In the process, Wu learnt about Cambridge's seriousness and caution. Bourne found out about Chinese authors' and publishers' emphasis on the bottom line and he tried hard to convince his peers that the publication would not compromise Cambridge's integrity. They found a solution by presenting the historical theories of various thoughts.

Wu says the library series became a hit, and more Chinese publishers are competing to have their books included.

But to Bourne, the series' aim is "making a commitment to take more books from China and to present them to the West". He says Cambridge is following the market strategy that by consistently publishing, it will make the publishing house a China expert.

"Twenty years ago, the West was deeply suspicious of China," he says. "Now, China is on high growth while Europe stops growing. Suddenly everyone wants to do business with and in China. So, they would like to know who's the China expert," he adds.

Bourne notices that Chinese publishers are changing from being shoved into the international market, to voluntarily seeking chances abroad.

Wu agrees with his views, adding that: "Lacking inner impetus to seek the international market is a setback for publishers at home."

Both also agree on the importance of qualified translators to ensure a successful global presence. Bourne suggests building a translator's market to help make it an attractive career choice.

He says getting book reviews or making it onto book lists in the West is equally important for Chinese publishers.

Wu, meanwhile, hopes Chinese writers will produce more urban stories, rather than confining themselves to the rural-themed ones they're good at, to appeal to overseas readers.

"Adding in a bit of love, a bit of sex, and a bit of crime, and a bit of everything the Westerners will love to read," Bourne says.

Contact the writer at meijia@chinadaily.com.cn.