20 Best Book Publishers in China (and How to Reach Them)

China has one of the largest book markets in the world, but most of its publishers are big state-owned houses that rarely explain how an outside author can reach them. Here are 20 publishers in mainland China and Hong Kong, what each one publishes, and how to contact them.

The list has two parts. The first seven publishers post a route for authors, so you can send a proposal or manuscript today. Three of them are in Hong Kong and work comfortably in English. The other thirteen are the major groups and houses that shape Chinese publishing; most work in Chinese and buy many of their foreign titles through rights deals, so they are best approached by a Chinese-language author, an agent or a rights partner. To offer a broader view, please also consider my detailed database of 2,000 publishing houses.

Submission policies change without notice, so check the publisher’s own page before you send anything, and never pay a reading fee. Last verified: October 1, 2026.

Publishers in China that invite manuscripts and proposals

1. The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press

The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press was established in 1977 as the publishing arm of CUHK and publishes in both English and Chinese. Its list has two strands: peer-reviewed academic books, with a strong focus on China and Hong Kong studies, and general non-fiction written for Hong Kong readers. It does not publish fiction, drama or poetry except in special cases, and it wants revised books, not unrevised PhD dissertations.

CUHK Press accepts proposals in English or Chinese by email to its editorial team and aims to reply within a month. This is the most approachable publisher on the list for an English-language scholar. Submission guidelines.

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2. Oxford University Press (China) Ltd

Oxford University Press (China) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Oxford University Press, a department of the University of Oxford. Its Hong Kong office reopened in 1961, and today it has more than 300 staff and publishes around 500 new titles a year. Most of its list is school publishing for Hong Kong, including English, Chinese, mathematics, science and humanities, alongside academic titles on China.

OUP China welcomes manuscripts from contributors: its FAQ asks you to email your manuscript with “SUBMISSION” in the subject line. Expect the strongest interest in educational material that fits its school programmes. Submission FAQ.

3. Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press was founded in 1983 and traces its roots to the translation bureau of Nanyang Public School in 1898. It is a large state university press in Shanghai, publishing well over a thousand new titles a year in science and technology, education, medicine, and the humanities and social sciences. Its website and editorial process are in Chinese.

SJTU Press welcomes proposals from experts and scholars through its submission guide, which also invites recommendations of foreign classics worth translating. Contact the editor-in-chief’s office using the details on that page. Submission guide.

4. Zhejiang University Press

Zhejiang University Press was founded in Hangzhou in 1984 and merged with Hangzhou University Press in 1999. It publishes across science, engineering, agriculture and medicine as well as the humanities and social sciences. Its English-language site is aimed at international partners and highlights translated Chinese literature, Chinese painting and books about rural China, which makes it a useful first stop for rights and co-publishing enquiries.

Zhejiang University Press welcomes submissions by email through its contact page, which gives the editorial mailbox and the editor-in-chief’s office. Most of its list is in Chinese, so a Chinese-language proposal will travel furthest. Submission contacts.

5. China Architecture and Building Press

China Architecture and Building Press, now run as China Architecture and Building Media, is the country’s leading specialist publisher for the built environment. Its list covers architecture, urban planning, civil engineering, landscape and interior design, construction technology, technical standards and professional exam guides, and it publishes the journal The Architect.

CABP accepts manuscripts through its author service page, which asks for a table of contents, sample chapters, a short introduction and your CV, and forbids simultaneous submissions. Proposals go to the editorial centre for your subject. Submission requirements.

6. Shanghai Scientific and Technical Publishers

Shanghai Scientific and Technical Publishers was founded in 1956, took its current name in 1959 and joined Shanghai Century Publishing Group in 2003. It publishes natural science, engineering, medicine and health, popular science, and textbooks in both traditional Chinese and Western medicine. Its journals include Science, which has run since 1915.

SSTP accepts manuscripts through a submission guide that asks for a book proposal form, an author registration form and either the full manuscript or sample chapters. It aims to reply within three months, and the process runs in Chinese. Submission guide.

7. Red Publish

Red Publish is a Hong Kong self-publishing house founded in 2003. Unlike the other publishers here, it is paid by the author: it offers a one-stop service covering editing, proofreading, design, layout, printing and bookstore distribution, and releases more than 100 titles a year, mostly in Chinese with some in English. There is no fixed price list, because each quote depends on page count, print run and colour.

Red Publish accepts submissions through its online quotation form or by email to its editorial department. Its FAQ sets out the royalty terms: 40% of the cover price on bookstore sales, and more on copies you sell yourself. Compare the quote with other self-publishing options before you sign. Request a quote.

China’s major publishing groups and houses

8. China Publishing Group Corporation

China Publishing Group is the largest state publishing group in the country, headquartered on Chaonei Street in Beijing. It brings together around 40 imprints, including The Commercial Press, Zhonghua Book Company, SDX Joint Publishing and People’s Literature Publishing House, and publishes more than 20,000 titles a year. It also signs over 2,000 foreign rights deals a year.

The group’s English site is a rights and export portal for publishers and agents. Authors should approach the individual imprint that fits their book, while foreign publishers can use the group’s contact page for rights enquiries. Contact page.

9. People’s Literature Publishing House

People’s Literature Publishing House is China’s national literature house and a member of China Publishing Group, with more than 70 years of history. It is the home of many classic and contemporary Chinese novels, short stories, poetry and literary criticism, as well as major translated works of world literature. Its list is in Chinese, and it is best known for building the canon of modern Chinese fiction.

China Publishing Group’s English site lists the house among its members, so rights and translation enquiries can start there.

10. Phoenix Publishing & Media Inc

Phoenix Publishing & Media is headquartered in Nanjing and has been listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange since 2011. It runs more than 20 publishing imprints, including Jiangsu People’s Publishing House, Phoenix Science Press and Phoenix Education Publishing, and it is the second-largest publisher of primary and secondary school textbooks in China. Its list also covers literature, children’s books, fine art and general non-fiction.

The English site is a rights and book-fair portal, with recent news from the Frankfurt and Moscow fairs. Authors should look up the imprint that matches their subject. Phoenix Publishing & Media.

11. Beijing Publishing Group

Beijing Publishing Group is the city’s state-owned publishing group. Its history runs back to the Dazhong Bookstore of 1948 and the Beijing Publishing House formed in 1956. It became one of China’s first pilot publishing groups in 1999 and a state-owned company in 2009. Today it runs 12 specialist presses, including Beijing People’s Publishing House, Beijing October Literature and Art and Beijing Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House, plus 10 journals, and releases about 5,000 new titles a year.

The English site shows the group’s international work, while its Chinese site at bphg.com.cn lists each press. Approach the press that fits your book.

12. Tsinghua University Press

Tsinghua University Press was founded in Beijing in 1980 and publishes around 2,000 new items a year. Its strengths are computer science, science and engineering, economics and management, and foreign-language learning, and it also runs 67 academic journals. Much of its list is university textbooks, and its main website, at tup.com.cn, is in Chinese.

The press lists an author and reader service hotline in its catalogue, and the overseas cooperation section of tup.com.cn handles rights and co-publishing with foreign partners. Tsinghua University Press.

13. Renmin University of China Publishing House

China Renmin University Press, as it is now usually called, was founded in Beijing in April 1955 as the first university press of the People’s Republic. It publishes textbooks and academic works in the humanities and social sciences, including economics, law, management, political science and journalism, and has won the China Publishing Government Award several times. Its list is in Chinese.

Renmin University’s publishing page is a reliable starting point for current information about the press. Renmin University publishing.

14. Beijing Normal University Publishing Group

Beijing Normal University Publishing Group grew out of Beijing Normal University Press, founded in August 1980, and became a group in July 2007. It is an education specialist: its textbooks are used from preschool to university in 29 provinces and Macau, and it also publishes teacher-education books, more than ten education and science journals, ebooks, audio and databases.

The group publishes its recruitment and news notices through Beijing Normal University’s publishing research site, which lists its Beijing address and is a good starting point for contact details.

15. Writers Publishing House

Writers Publishing House is a Beijing literary publisher supervised by the China Writers Association. It publishes contemporary Chinese fiction, poetry, essays, memoir and children’s literature, and its homepage is busy with author seminars and Writers Association events. Its website moved to zuojiachubanshe.com, so update any old bookmarks.

Writers Publishing House publishes mainly Chinese-language authors. Translators and foreign publishers interested in its titles can use the contact details on its website. Writers Publishing House.

16. Foreign Languages Press

Foreign Languages Press is the Beijing state publisher whose job is to present China to readers abroad. It publishes in English and many other languages, including the works of China’s leaders, official policy documents, books on Chinese culture and society, and titles for learning foreign languages and translation. It marked its 70th anniversary recently and remains active, with new bilingual titles released in September 2026.

Its website lists new titles, news and contact details, and is the place to start a translation or co-publishing conversation. Foreign Languages Press.

17. China Intercontinental Press

China Intercontinental Press was founded in Beijing in December 1993 with a simple mission: to help the world understand China. Its books centre publishes more than 200 China-themed titles a year in English, French, Spanish, Arabic and about a dozen other languages, distributed to roughly 200 countries, and it runs more than 400 China Bookshelf sites in 47 countries. It also produces film and television and publishes journals.

China Intercontinental Press is a natural partner for translators and foreign publishers working on books about China. Its book publishing page lists recent titles and contact details. Book publishing.

18. The Commercial Press

The Commercial Press traces its history to Shanghai in 1897 and is one of the oldest publishers in China. This entry covers The Commercial Press (Hong Kong), which publishes dictionaries and reference books, language learning, literature, history, social science, education and children’s books, mainly in Traditional Chinese. Its sister house in Beijing is an imprint of China Publishing Group.

The Hong Kong publishing site has an author column and a rights and licensing section, and its contact page directs editorial matters to email. Contact page.

19. Fujian Education Publishing House

Fujian Education Publishing House is a state press in Fuzhou and part of Haixia Publishing and Distribution Group. It publishes textbooks and study aids, education books and social science titles, mainly for schools and teachers in Fujian Province. Its website’s security certificate has expired, so your browser may show a warning when you open it.

Fujian Education Publishing House works almost entirely in Chinese and with local educators. Use the service centre on its website for contact details.

20. Cottontree

Cotton Tree Publishing is a Hong Kong children’s book publisher founded in 1998 and based in Sha Tin. It publishes affordable picture books and children’s literature in Traditional Chinese, a monthly children’s literature magazine and teaching resources, and runs its own online bookstore.

Cotton Tree lists general contact details on its about page, which is the place to start a conversation about a children’s book for Hong Kong readers. About Cotton Tree.

Names you may be looking for

Foreign Languages Press (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist publishing house)

This independent publishing house shares its name with the Beijing publisher above but is a separate organisation. Founded in 2016, it publishes revolutionary theory and political classics in English, French, German, Spanish and Catalan, sells print-on-demand editions priced in euros and offers free PDFs. Its old manuscript page is no longer online.

Final Thoughts

If you write in English, start with CUHK Press for scholarly work or general non-fiction about Hong Kong, and with Oxford University Press (China) for educational material. If you can work in Chinese, SJTU Press, Zhejiang University Press, CABP and SSTP all explain how to submit. Red Publish is the route if you would rather pay to publish and keep control. The big state groups mostly reach foreign authors through translation and rights deals, so an agent or a foreign publisher is your best way in. Next up, you may want to explore a guide on top publishing companies in Japan.