The Commercial Press () is the first modern publishing organisation in China. It is known for its academic publishing and translation work in humanities and social sciences, as well as the Xinhua Dictionary.
History
In 1897, 26-year-old Xia Ruifang and three of his friends (including the Bao brothers Bao Xian'en and Bao Xianchang) founded the Commercial Press in Shanghai. All four were Protestant Christians who received their training at the American Presbyterian Mission Press. The group soon received financial backing and began publishing books, such as Bibles.
From 1903 to 1914, the Commercial Press operated as a joint venture with Kinkōdō, one of the largest Japanese textbook publishers. Through the joint venture, the Commercial Press obtained the latest printing technology, as well as lantern slides and cinema.
From 1903, Zhang Yuanji (, 1867–1959), reacting to China's moves towards a new curriculum, created several textbook and translation series, and from 1904 onwards he launched popular periodicals, such as Dongfang Zazhi (Eastern Miscellany, 1904), (The Chinese Education Journal), (Short Story Magazine, later Fiction Monthly), (Student Magazine) and Funü Zazhi (Women's Journal).Michael R. Godley, Review of The Life and Times of Zhang Yuanji, 1867–1959 by Manying Ip, in: Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs, No. 19/20 (Jan. – July 1988), p. 415. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
The Republic of China succeeded the Qing in 1912. In January 1914, the founder of the Commercial Press, Xia Ruifang, was stabbed to death. - Article on book: Gutenberg in Shanghai
The Commercial Press acquired film studio equipment and camera from a failed American-owned business in Nanjing in 1917. The Commercial Press' film production focused on documentaries. The Commercial Press explicitly sought to domestically produce films as a substitute for foreign imports, which the Commercial Press described as "flippant and mendacious, very harmful to the maintenance of customs and popular sentiment. 'Foreign films' frequently satirize inferior conditions in our society, thus providing material for derision."
In 1932, the Commercial Press was bombed by the Imperial Japanese Army during the January 28 Incident. The bombing destroyed its headquarters in Zhabei, Shanghai, and its attached Oriental Library (Dongfang Tushuguan) and its collection of more than 500,000 books,Michael R. Godley, Review of The Life and Times of Zhang Yuanji, 1867–1959 by Manying Ip, in: Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs, No. 19/20 (Jan. – July 1988), p. 416. Retrieved 15 August 2020. including tens of thousands of rare books.Ke Jiayun, "Bombed-out library with revolutionary past", Shanghai Daily. Retrieved 15 August 2020. Also destroyed in the bombing were Commercial Press's management offices, warehouses, and four printing presses. The bombing destroyed 80% of its assets in total.
People's Republic of China
In 1949, the Commercial Press' operations were relocated away from China after the People's Liberation Army entered Shanghai. In 1954, the Commercial Press' headquarters was moved from Shanghai to Beijing, shifting its focus to academic works published in the West. In 1993, the separate Commercial Press companies in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia established a joint venture, becoming the Commercial Press International Limited. In 2011, the Beijing office became a limited liability company (). When China publishing and Media Holdings Co., Ltd. () was founded on 19 December 2011, the newly founded company became the parent company.组织机构
Today it is headquartered in Beijing and continues as an active publishing house of Chinese language learning materials including dictionaries, textbooks, pedagogical texts, and a cultural magazine called The World of Chinese.
Subsidiaries
Beijing Subsidiaries of the Beijing branch: Chinese Editing Centre (), Academic Editing Centre (), English Editing Room (), Foreign Language Editing Room (), UNESCO Editing Centre (), Online Publication Centre (). The Commercial Press International Co., Ltd. (): Founded in 1993 by the Commercial Press branches in Beijing, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur The World of English Inc. (): Founded in 1981 The World of Chinese magazine ()
Former subsidiaries Dongfang Tushuguan/Oriental Library (): A library founded in 1925, and was later destroyed in 1932. The Commercial Press (Hong Kong) Limited (): Founded in 1914 () in Hong Kong as a subsidiary of the Beijing TCP. In 10 June 1988, it was incorporated as the Commercial Press (Hong Kong) Limited (). When Sino United Publishing (Holdings) Limited was established, it became a subsidiary of SUP. Commercial Press (HK) Cyberbooks Ltd. (): Online bookstore for the Commercial Press (H.K.) Ltd. Founded in 18 March 1999 as CP BooksNet. The site CP1897.com was founded in 12 April 2000 with SUNeVision. The Commercial Press Hong Kong Printing Factory (): Established in 1924 in Sai Wan, Hong Kong as a printer for TCP's Hong Kong branch. In 1933, it was moved to North Point. In 1980, it was merged with Zhonghua Book Company Hong Kong Printing Factory () and Tae Chien Printing Co. () into C & C Joint Printing Co., (H.K.) Ltd. (). Hong Kong Educational Publishing Company (): Established in 1979 as a textbook and reference publisher. Bloomsbury Books Limited/Bloomsbury Books Ltd.: In November 2005, the Commercial Press (H.K.) Ltd. acquired Bloomsbury Books as an extension of its professional arm serving the legal and business communities in Hong Kong. EdFun Limited (): Established in 2005 The Commercial Press, Ltd. (): In September 1947, TCP's Fuzhou branch manager Ye Youmei entered Taiwan to plan for the branch. In October 1947, TCP bought a wooden and brick house in 37 Chongqing South Road 1st Section for the planned Taiwan headquarter. In 1948, the Taiwan branch () began operation. In 1949, the Taiwan branch became an independent entity under the demand from Taiwanese government, and the Chinese name was changed (). In 10 October 1950, the company completed registration. The Commercial Press (S) Pte. Limited (): Established in 1916 as the Beijing TCP's Singapore branch. As of 2016, it is a subsidiary of Sino United Publishing (Holdings) Limited. K. L. Commercial Book Company (M) Sdn. Bhd. (): Established in 1956 as the Beijing TCP's Malaysia branch. In 1987, K. L. Commercial Book Company (M) Sdn. Bhd. was registered as a limited liability company operating independently. As of 2016, it is a subsidiary of Sino United Publishing (Holdings) Limited.
Representative publications
Book series China Export Commodity SeriesGoatskin, worldcat.org. Retrieved 13 February 2026. Commercial Press New English Readers = Commercial Press new english readers / Shang wu yin shu guan ying wen xin du ben = Commercial Press new english readers, worldcat.org. Retrieved 12 February 2026. Da xue cong shu (Studies of scholars)se:Da xue cong shu (Shanghai, Zhongguo), worldcat.org. Retrieved 12 February 2026. Foreign Trade Association of China MonographsChina under depreciated silver, 1926-1931, worldcat.org. Retrieved 13 February 2026. Gongheguo jiaoke shu xin guowen (National Readers for the New Republic), worldcat.org. Retrieved 12 February 2026. Liliput Series (1927)English-Chinese dictionary, worldcat.org. Retrieved 13 February 2026. The Scenic China Series (1919)孔林 / Kong lin, worldcat.org. Retrieved 12 February 2026. War Scenes of the Chinese RevolutionFront cover image for War Scenes of the Chinese Revolution. [Photographs, with letterpress in Chinese and English. War Scenes of the Chinese Revolution. (Photographs, with letterpress in Chinese and English.)], worldcat.org. Retrieved 12 February 2026. Xue Bu shending Chudeng xiaoxue yong Zui xin Guowen jiaokeshu [= Chinese national readers for primary schools; approved by the Board of Education of China]Oslo University: older Chinese books, donwagner.dk, Retrieved 12 February 2026.
See also Commercial Press (Hong Kong) Commercial Press (Taiwan) Publishing industry in China
References
External links