For Chinese lovers of Harry Potter, July 21 will be a day for them to rejoice with fans around the world as the seventh and final in the series of adventures rolls off the presses. In the novel, the hero Harry Potter struggles with the wicked Lord Voldemort, and enjoys the victory of "justice over evil." In daily life, the boy wizard created by British writer J.K. Rowling brings endless entertainment to readers everywhere.

But as with all things in life, there are always two sides to every story. In Britain and the United States, as in China, people also have different opinions about Pottermania. Those who like this novel believe that Harry Potter books have wonderful plots, rich imagination and a unique fairy tale world, which reflect people's wish to realize dreams, punish evil and advocate justice. Although essentially a children's novel, there is no shortage of adults who openly admit to being enthralled by the bestsellers. The opponents of Potter books, however, believe that the young wizard will mislead the younger generation, arguing that today's youth need to be more grounded and concerned with real life and their futures. They are not supposed to be obsessed with witchcraft, say these cautious observers.

Whatever people think of Harry Potter, one thing is certain, J.K. Rowling has created a literary miracle, shown in the stunning success of her novels and the movies adapted from the novels. Harry Potter novels have chalked up a collective record sales volume of 325 million copies and been translated into 64 languages.

In China, Harry Potter has also achieved great success. To date between 8 and 9 million copies of the Chinese version have been sold. It is predicted by some publishing houses that as the last volume, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will have a first print run of 800,000 copies. Among all the publications for children, apart from textbooks, reference books and Xinhua Zidian (the most popular modern Chinese dictionary), no publication has ever had such a large print run as the Harry Potter novels. Every global release of Harry Potter has aroused almost fanatical interest. Many children feel proud of owning a complete set of Harry Potter novels and fans have even set up their own websites, collecting things related to Harry Potter. Some fans, not content to wait so long between books, make up their own Potter adventures giving vent to their imaginations in the most creative ways.

Today's young generation in China is much happier and luckier than their forefathers. While previous generations were limited to stories like Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales, Grimm's Fairy Tales and Journey to the West, this generation can indulge themselves in fresh ideas from all over the world, like Harry Potter and the exciting world of hi-tech gadgets. Growing up in this open and relaxed atmosphere, the new generation is open-minded and tolerant, unlike their predecessors who tended to be suspicious of anything new.

For Harry Potter's young fans in China, the novels are just another way for them to travel freely in a world of fantasy, while embracing a world of reality.