Over the past decade, the publishing house has also released works that vividly record the great changes of the time, the poverty alleviation effort, as well as the fruitful Belt and Road Initiative, he added.

Bao Jian, head of the publishing house, said his colleagues have touched upon topics around the homeland and the times and been dedicated to seeking the roots of the modern Chinese civilization, depicting the great new era and conveying the dreams of ordinary people.

According to him, the publishing house is increasing financial support for young, emerging and grassroots writers.

Wang Shuli, a retired editor, recalled more than 30 years working at the publishing house, how it put an emphasis on supporting emerging, young authors and publishing works of foreign writers since the 1980s, and how it took the lead in introducing market-oriented reform and performance assessment system in the 1990s.

In her career, Wang maintained over two decades' cooperation with Shanghai-based writer and scholar Yu Qiuyu, whose bestsellers include A Bittersweet Journey Through Culture. Wang said Yu was initially attracted to the Beijing publishing house's market-oriented operation and its respect for writers.

She also mentioned the portfolios of the "New Concept" writing competitions, through which bestselling post-'80s writers like Han Han, Guo Jingming and Zhang Yueran stood out, rose to fame and set off a craze for youth literature in the 2000s.