Viral Learning 2021: Chinese Figures On The World Stage (Part 2 of 3)

Despite staging an impressive rebound from 2020, recovery from the pandemic in China isn’t on solid ground yet. China’s economy performed better than expected in the third quarter in 2021 as retail sales climbed. However, rising Covid outbreaks and a series of policy changes that effect education and technology mean a nuanced understanding of the market is needed. 

In this Viral Learning 2021 series, Alicia Liu, founder of Singing Grass, has identified three key trends on consumer content consumption in Chinese society today that have continued to grow: Wellbeing, autobiographies, and education. 

This article was originally published on BookBrunch

Chinese Figures On The World Stage

When Phoenix's editor-in-chief Xu Hai launched the company’s much anticipated new title of the year, The Shape of a Life: One Mathematician's Search for the Universe's Hidden Geometry, he could scarcely have imagined just how successful it would turn out to be.

Chinese-American mathematician Shing-Tung Yau, a 72 year old intellectual, has become a household name in China and is now enjoying rockstar status, partly due to the rise of the tech industry. He believes that technology is building on China’s phenomenal strength in maths, and is the reason for China’s rise as a global power in technology. 

Originally published by Yale University Press in April 2019, the Chinese edition of The Shape of a Life was published by Yilin Press this March and sold 50,000 copies in its first month. 

"The Shape of a Life is the first autobiography of an important Chinese-born mathematician who has spent most of his life researching maths and logic in the US. It will leave a long lasting impact on both the current and the future tech generation in China." - Xu Hai, editor of chief at Phoenix Publishing and Media

Inspirational autobiographies, notably of Chinese figures on the world stage, are frequently long-term bestsellers in China. "Two years ago Yilin Press published Dunhuang is Where My Heart Belongs, an autobiography of the Chinese archaeologist and heritage specialist Fan Jinshi, who spent most of her life working on the world heritage site at the Mogao Caves, Dunhuang," said Xu. “Although it might appear a niche subject, Fan’s story captured the public imagination and sold consistently well."