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Featured Publications
Special> Third Plenary Session of 18th CPC Central Committee> Featured Publications
UPDATED: September 2, 2013 NO. 36, SEPTEMBER 5, 2013
A Record of Reformation
Works by former Premier Zhu Rongji shed light on the country's transformation
By Bai Shi
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The English edition of Zhu Rongji on the Record: The Road to Reform 1991-1997 will be published in the United States this September. The work will give readers a chance to learn more about China's economic and social reform during a crucial period.

Zhu, who served as premier of China from 1998 to 2003, is well known for his pragmatism and strong work ethic in driving the country's transformation from a planned economy to a more market-oriented one. During Zhu's term in office, China carried out extensive social and economic reforms, laying a solid foundation for its burgeoning growth.

The four-volume Chinese edition of Zhu Rongji on the Record was published in 2011. It's a collection of speeches, articles, letters and instructions from Zhu during his tenure as vice premier of China from 1991 to 1997. Until now, it has sold 1.3 million copies in China.

The 464-page English edition includes more than 100 articles selected from the Chinese edition, and will be released by Brookings Institution Press, in association with China's Foreign Languages Press (FLP).

"Content for the English edition was selected by the author himself in a bid to streamline the book for overseas readership," said Liu Fangnian, an editorial team member at FLP.

The Brookings Institution Press is devoted to research, education, and publication on important issues regarding U.S. domestic and foreign policy. It is dedicated to releasing books stemming from its own research and those written by outside authors.

"The publication of Zhu Rongji on the Record marks the ground-breaking collaboration between Brookings Institution Press and FLP," Hu Kaimin, Associate Editor in Chief of FLP, told Beijing Review.

Hu and his editors have worked with their American partners since both sides reached an agreement on publishing the book early last year.

"Both the Brookings Institution Press and FLP are active players in promoting Sino-American cultural exchange. We have a broad common ground for cooperation," Hu said.

According to him, Zhu's book is an important source for understanding how China dealt with an economic dilemma to evolve into the second largest economy in the world.

"The book has been eagerly anticipated by foreign readers and researchers since its first publication in China and has been widely recommended by many prestigious international figures," Hu noted.

Dr. Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State, as well as Helmut Schmidt, former Chancellor of West Germany, wrote introductions for the book.

"The English edition of Zhu Rongji on the Record deserves to be a model for the translation of similar books," Liu said.

Thanks to the great contribution of June Mei, Liu explained, the work avoids the use of "chinglish" and accurately interprets Chinese connotations found in Zhu's speeches.

Mei, a Chinese American, has served as interpreter during many Sino-American exchanges since the late 1980s. In 1990, she interpreted for Zhu, then Shanghai's Mayor, during his visit to the United States, where Mei impressed him with her excellent knack for languages. Zhu subsequently invited her to interpret at a dinner party for political and business celebrities during his visit to Washington, D.C. in 1999. She was eventually appointed chief translator for the English edition of Zhu's book in 2011.

"Western readers will be able to better grasp Zhu's speeches thanks to Mei's remarkable translation," Liu said.

Email us at: baishi@bjreview.com



 
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