Shu Jinyu from China Reading Weekly says the series is still a best-seller in its genre, with 20,000 collections sold every year.

The series was followed by the 12-volume The New Cambridge Modern History.

Wu Yin, a former deputy head of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and one of the experts who worked on The Cambridge History of China, says that the publication of the series established the influence of the publishing house, showcased China's academic achievements, and influenced a generation of Chinese scholars.

Zhao adds that the publishing house is the source of 276 Chinese titles, mostly academic books on philosophy and social sciences, that have been published internationally.

It has also introduced more than 200 top Chinese scholars to the international community.

Separately, in 2017, the publishing house was listed first in a study on influential Chinese publishers when it came to libraries overseas.