ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some developments in publishing, and their consequences both for China and for potential rivals and partners. It explores discussions of the issues with teaching Chinese practitioners, academics, and administrators. The chapter considers the book industry in terms of a conventional market. China has a population of 1.2 billion, perhaps three-quarters literate, some four-fifths living in rural areas, often far from the great urban centers that suck in the talent to their universities, research institutes, and official departments. The traditional structure under the National Press and Publication Administration prescribed specific publishing remits to individual presses, which are both a defensible allocation of scarce resources and a discouragement of content in unauthorized areas. The traditional channel of distribution was through the retail outlets of Xin Hua Shudian, with printings closely tied to their orders, and no returns; their wholesaling system had a tight grip on the order and physical distribution process, which was inefficient.
