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The Commercial Press
 The Commercial Press in the past
The Commercial Press (CP) was founded in Shanghai on February 11, 1897. Its
founding marked the beginning of modern publishing industry in China. Through
the hardships and vicissitudes of the past hundred or so years, CP has grown
from a small printing workshop into one of the largest publishing and cultural
institutions in contemporary China. Among its ranks came forth a large number of
talented editors and scholars. So far, it has brought out nearly 50,000 titles
for generations of Chinese and international readers, making important
contributions to broadening China's academic, educational and cultural vision.
No wonder it is highly commended as "an important cultural and educational
institution".
Our founders started from scratch and worked
industriously to lay down a solid foundation for CP. Shortly after it was
founded, CP turned into a joint-stock company, employing a large number of
talented people to develop a diversified economy centering on the publishing
industry, thus expanding its power rapidly. It wrote textbooks for all kinds of
schools and universities; it compiled big-sized reference books such as Ci Yuan
(A Dictionary of Chinese Etymology); it translated Western famous academic works
such as Evolution and Ethics and The Wealth of Nations; it published literary
works by modern and contemporary Chinese famous writers such as Lu Xun, Ba Jin,
Bing Xin and Lao She; it sorted out important ancient books such as Si Bu Cong
Kan (Four Classics Series); it edited book series such as "Universal Library"
and "College Book Series"; it published periodicals such as Oriental Magazine,
Short Story Monthly and The Nature; it set up Oriental Library and Shanggong
Primary School; it manufactured educational equipment and apparatus; and it even
made films. At its heyday, CP boasted a staff of over 5,000, with 36 branches
and 1,000 representative offices in and out of China, and its publications
accounting for at least 60% of the nation's total. It created numerous "No. 1"
in China's modern publishing industry and became the biggest publishing
institution in Asia. As the best-known name in China's publishing industry, the
Commercial Press earned the same important place as Peking University so far as
culture is concerned. From this important center of culture came forward a large
number of outstanding political and intellectual leaders. Their glorious names
have been written into the history of CP. In the 1930s and 40s, Japan invaded
China, and CP suffered great losses, too. It was twice heavily damaged and
difficult to keep on with its business. However, despite the hardships and
difficulties, CP managed to work incessantly and produce books constantly by
adhering to the spirit of "making sacrifices for the national catastrophe and
making contributions to the cultural development", by holding up the banner of
the cultural resistance and the national revival, and by making concerted
efforts with Chinese people of all circles.
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