The multilingual book series "Keywords to Understand China: Global Civilization Initiative," the latest of the "Keywords to Understand China" program, has helped bridge cultural differences and facilitate global understanding of China's perspective on civilization, according to international publishers and readers.
The series was launched on Sept. 23 in Beijing, aiming to bridge linguistic and cultural divides, and introduce China's perspective on civilization that values equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness.
Compiled and translated by institutions including China International Communications Group (CICG) and its subsidiary Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, and edited and published by the New World Press – another CICG subsidiary – the series systematically interprets the Global Civilization Initiative for the global audience.
This Chinese proposal responds to global needs for enhanced civilizational dialogue, and advocates respect for the diversity of civilizations, the common values of humanity, the importance of inheritance and innovation of civilizations, as well as robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, according to the book series.
The series decodes 48 core keywords, from theoretical concepts like a "new form of human civilization" to historical narratives such as the "Silk Road," making China's civilizational perspective accessible to international readers.
The first print offers five separate bilingual editions, each presenting the text in Chinese alongside English, French, Russian, Spanish, or Arabic.
The publication is now being distributed through multiple channels. Digitally, it is available on major platforms like Amazon Kindle and Kobo, reaching users in over 150 countries and regions. In print, the book is frequently featured at international cultural events, with a recent copyright signing ceremony at the Frankfurt Book Fair and publishers from Albania, Canada, and Türkiye facilitating its localized distribution.
As of June 2025, the entire "Keywords to Understand China" program has released more than 180 books and e-books across 22 themes and 19 language editions, with over 20,000 multilingual keywords published.
Through partnerships with international publishers, the program has reached a global audience of over 25 million and garnered more than 100 million subscriptions and views overseas, establishing itself as a crucial window for the world to understand Chinese perspectives.
