China Bestsellers: Flashes of New Titles in the Slow Season

In Feature Articles by Porter AndersonLeave a Comment

Those school-driven sales of the “classics” on the mainland’s reading lists have room for a couple of newer works this season.

At the Qinhuai River’s Confusius Temple at Nanjing, in China’s Jiangsu Province. Image – Getty: Govan Zhang

By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson

At the end of this article:
Three new magazines for your consideration.

‘Notebook of a Grave Robber: Cloud-Top Palace,’ commemorative edition

At the best of times, mainland China’s bestselling-book charts can seem to be among the most slowly changing and evolving in the world.  During late summer, as our regular readers know, this becomes even more profound, as the fiction category continues its strong performance from classic literature, while Web
novels-turned-print books (physical publications of serialized online work) and celebrity works also can demonstrate some impressive sales momentum.

The popularity of classic literature slightly decreased in August, according to our good research associates at Beijing OpenBook, compared to the action in July, but those tenacious classics—call this “the Red Crag set”—gave up little of its dominance: Male-oriented online literature in China tends to be published as long multi-volume series, we’re being told, work aimed toward women in the marketplace frequently will be rendered in standalone books or split into only two volumes.

Apparently, it’s the guys who enjoy the longer-running series. And this appears to cross over media, too. You may recall that the Chinese television adaptation of The Three Body Problem has 30 episodes.

As the summer-reading lists play through on the classics front, our associates do helpfully point to a couple of books new to many.

‘Performing a Segment: Guo Degang Tells Ji Gong’

In the celebrity-author category, Guy Degang’s May release, Performing a Segment: Guo Degang Tells Ji Gong, is doing well in 3-commerce channels, and his August release, The Xiangsheng Saga, seems to be having rapid movement in its home market, although we do not see it charting as yet.

The Web-borne Notebook of a Grave Robber: Cloud-Top Palace is out in a commemorative print edition from Jiangsu Literature & Art Press. Its success, we’re told, boosted sales of additional installments in its series, leading to one insight we wish we had more of involving gender differences in reading:

Below, then, are OpenBook’s overall lists from August 2025 of bestsellers in fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books, followed by its lists of bestselling fiction and nonfiction in China by authors from outside the country. At the end of our article, as always, you’ll find notes on how the lists are constructed.

OpenBook’s Fiction Bestsellers, August 2025
August 2025 Ranking ISBN Release Date Title (Translated) Author Chinese Publisher
1 9787515373850 202408 Red Crag Luo Guangbin,Yang Yiyan China Youth Press
2 9787536097261 202207 Someone To Talk To Liu Zhenyun Flower City Press
3 9787572608582 202210 The Litchi Road Ma Boyong Hunan Literature & Art Press
4 9787530221532 202110 To Live (2021 Edition) Yu Hua Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
5 9787573510921 202412 One Hundred Years of Solitude (2025 Edition) Gabriel García Márquez Nan Hai Publishing Co.
6 9787020002207 199807 Dream of the Red Chamber Cao Xueqin People’s Literature Publishing House
7 9787536692930 200801 The Three-Body Problem Liu Cixin Chongqing Publishing House
8 9787536693968 200805 The Dark Forest Liu Cixin Chongqing Publishing House
9 9787229030933 201011 Death’s End Liu Cixin Chongqing Publishing House
10 9787530221396 202106 Ordinary Word (3 Volumes)(2021 Edition) Lu Yao Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
11 9787020008735 199807 Journey to the West Wu Cheng’en People’s Literature Publishing House
12 9787572624247 202505 Everything is Fine Ma Boyong Hunan Literature & Art Press
13 9787020139590 201906 The Last Quarter of the Moon Chi Zijian People’s Literature Publishing House
14 9787572610912 202305 The Annoyance of the Gods Ma Boyong Hunan Literature & Art Press
15 9787020008742 199807 Water Margin Shi Nai’an,Luo Guanzhong People’s Literature Publishing House
16 9787201112695 201703 Siddhartha Hermann Hesse Tianjin People’s Publishing House
17 9787519013295 201607 Dream of the Red Chamber Cao Xueqin The Publishing House of the China Literary Federation
18 9787557032821 202504 If Journey to the West were a Group of Cats (1) Fei Zhi Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
19 9787559499455 202508 The Grave Robbers’ Chronicle: Changbai Mountain (Commemorative Edition) Nanpai Sanshu Jiangsu Literature & Art Press
20 9787541161834 202207 Notebook of a Grave Robber (1) Nanpai Sanshu Sichuan Literature & Art Press
21 9787536097254 202207 Chicken Feathers Everywhere Liu Zhenyun Flower City Press
22 9787505760905 202506 Aurora Daily (3): HongChen Evening News San Jiu Yin Yu China Friendship Publishing Company
23 9787580104199 202506 Quagmire Liu Chuxin Lijiang Press
24 9787505760912 202506 Aurora Daily (4): HongChen Evening News San Jiu Yin Yu China Friendship Publishing Company
25 9787512516236 202404 Wait for Me Towards Light (vol.1) Jiang Zi Bei International Culture Publishing Corporation
26 9787512517219 202411 Wait for Me Towards Light (vol.2) Jiang Zi Bei International Culture Publishing Corporation
27 9787536094420 202107 Laughter and Tears: A Novel Liu Zhenyun Flower City Press
28 9787505760998 202506 Aurora Daily (5): Hongchen Base Top-Secret Files San Jiu Yin Yu China Friendship Publishing Company
29 9787541161841 202207 Notebook of a Grave Robber (2) Nanpai Sanshu Sichuan Literature & Art Press
30 9787544766500 201701 To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee Yilin Press
OpenBook’s Nonfiction Bestsellers, August 2025
August 2025 Ranking ISBN Release Date Title (Translated) Author Chinese Publisher
1 9787576354232 202507 Catch, Cut, and Cosmos：Dialogue on the Principles of Life Shao Yong,Chen Ping Beijing Institute of Technology Press
2 9787102096957 202508 Silence Wang One Hundred Thousand Volts Concert Tour Artbook Silence Wang Studio People’s Fine Arts Publishing House
3 9787020116133 201606 Red Star Over China Edgar Snow People’s Literature Publishing House
4 9787111495482 201504 The Courage to Be Disliked Ichiro Kishimi,Fumitake Koga China Machine Press
5 9787020084357 201104 I and the Temple of Earth Shi Tiesheng People’s Literature Publishing House
6 9787570726158 202506 From the Soil Fei Xiaotong Anhui Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
7 9787201161693 202008 Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure Robert de Board Tianjin People’s Publishing House
8 9787557033989 202502 If History were a Group of Cats: Qing Dynasty Fei Zhi Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
9 9787544276986 201910 Educated: A Memoir Tara Westover Nan Hai Publishing Co.
10 9787115543424 202009 Cognitive Awakening: The Driving Force Behind Self-Change Zhou Ling Posts & Telecommunications Publishing House
11 9787513948623 202504 Comic I Ching Wang Xinrui Democracy and Construction Press
12 9787512519336 202505 The Strategist from Humble Origins Zhang Ling International Culture Publishing Corporation
13 9787536094352 202109 My Altay Li Juan Flower City Press
14 9787513342919 202101 Lectures on Modern Western Thought Liu Qing New Star Press Co., Ltd.
15 9787557030599 202306 If History were a Group of Cats: Xia, Shang and Western Zhou Dynasty Fei Zhi Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
16 9787558595592 202507 Catch, Cut, and Cosmos：Dialogue on the Principles of Life Shao Yong,Gao Yan The North China Women & Children’s Publishing House
17 9787522200514 202105 Nonviolent Communication Marshall B.Rosenberg Huaxia Publishing House
18 9787521775181 202506 2049: Possibilities in the Next 10,000 Days Kevin Kelly CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd.
19 9787557033118 202406 If History were a Group of Cats: The Late Ming Dynasty and the Early Qing Dynasty Fei Zhi Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
20 9787575403467 202409 1000 Questions on Chinese Culture Bright Culture Research Center Hunan Education Press
21 9787508653389 201507 The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War Ⅱ Iris Chang CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd.
22 9787557030162 202305 If History were a Group of Cats: Late Yuan and Early Ming Dynasty Fei Zhi Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
23 9787521775426 202508 Investment Opportunities in a Global Context Shi Hanbing CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd.
24 9787557030582 202306 If History were a Group of Cats: The Spring-autumn and Warring State Period Fei Zhi Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
25 9787521774665 202504 The Great Way: Duan Yongping’s Investment Q&A Munger College,Zhao Liya CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd.
26 9787540483432 201711 Jottings in Sickbed (Commemorative Edition 2021) Shi Tiesheng Hunan Literature & Art Press
27 9787557028657 202210 If History were a Group of Cats: Southern Song, Jin and Yuan Dynasty Fei Zhi Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
28 9787557031589 202311 If History were a Group of Cats: The Ming Dynasty Fei Zhi Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
29 9787550207479 201206 Illustrate the World: 100 Most Beautiful Places in China Editing Group of This Book Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
30 9787557024413 202105 If History were a Group of Cats: Prosperity of the Tang Dynasty Fei Zhi Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
OpenBook’s Children’s Bestsellers, August 2025
August 2025 Ranking ISBN Release Date Title (Translated) Author Chinese Publisher
1 9787558580949 202401 Traveling with Poetry Rizhi Books The North China Women&Children’s Publishing House
2 9787522536507 202506 Biography of Ao Bing (2) Erstrovsky,Guji,Li Zilan Jiuzhou Press
3 9787556889884 202505 Treasure Hunting in Ningxia Jingding Comic 21st Century Press Group
4 9787522502816 202107 Biography of Ao Bing (1) Erstrovsky,Guji,Li Zilan Jiuzhou Press
5 9787530778340 202409 Growth Handbook for Adolescent Boys Xie Zhidong New Buds Publishing House
6 9787556882236 202408 Treasure Hunting in Jilin Jingding Comic 21st Century Press Group
7 9787534256301 200909 Dreaming of Being a Wolf King (2018 Edition) Shen Shixi Zhejiang Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
8 9787532767373 201408 Charlotte’s Web Elwyn Brooks White Shanghai Translation Publishing House
9 9787556878871 202311 Treasure Hunting in Shanxi Jingding Comic 21st Century Press Group
10 9787559706522 201805 The Foolish and the Unhappy (With Chinese Pinyin) Ren Rongrong Zhejiang Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
11 9787556869589 202301 Treasure Hunting in Beijing Jingding Comic 21st Century Press Group
12 9787513304948 201203 Small Goldfish Fled Taro Gomi New Star Press Co., Ltd.
13 9787556869572 202301 Treasure Hunting in Shanghai Jingding Comic 21st Century Press Group
14 9787521726473 202012 A Dog Named Money Bodo Schafer CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd.
15 9787544288590 201806 Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window (2018 Edition) Tetsuko Kuroyanagi Nan Hai Publishing Co.
16 9787536574366 201601 Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Stratego Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
17 9787536574397 201601 Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Clever Little Prodigy Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
18 9787536574380 201601 Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Who’s the Smart Guy? Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
19 9787556869824 202302 Treasure Hunting in Xinjiang Jingding Comic 21st Century Press Group
20 9787501609413 201504 Bronze and Sunflower Cao Wenxuan Foreign Literature Press
21 9787536574373 201601 Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: The Great Adventure of the Castle Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
22 9787533274269 201308 Guess How Much I Love You Sam McBratney,Anita Jeram Tomorrow Publishing House
23 9787556869664 202302 Treasure Hunting in Shaanxi Jingding Comic 21st Century Press Group
24 9787556869602 202302 Treasure Hunting in Chongqing Jingding Comic 21st Century Press Group
25 9787533299224 201810 Fantastic Mr. Fox Roald Dahl,Quentin Blake Tomorrow Publishing House
26 9787531347491 201502 The Elephant That Eats the Night Bai Bing Chunfeng Art & Literature Publishing House
27 9787556869626 202302 Treasure Hunting in Sichuan Jingding Comic 21st Century Press Group
28 9787556869596 202302 Treasure Hunting in Tianjin Jingding Comic 21st Century Press Group
29 9787556869855 202302 Treasure Hunting in Neimenggu Jingding Comic 21st Century Press Group
30 9787556869695 202302 Treasure Hunting in Yunnan Jingding Comic 21st Century Press Group
International Fiction Bestsellers, August 2025
August 2025 Ranking ISBN Release Date Title (Translated) Author Author Nationality Chinese Publisher
1 9787573510921 202412 One Hundred Years of Solitude (2025 Edition) Gabriel García Márquez Colombia Nan Hai Publishing Co.
2 9787201112695 201703 Siddhartha Hermann Hesse Germany Tianjin People’s Publishing House
3 9787544766500 201701 To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee United States of America Yilin Press
4 9787208061644 200604 The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini United States of America Shanghai People’s Publishing House
5 9787544291163 201708 Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) Keigo Higashino Japan Nan Hai Publishing Co.
6 9787201141527 201810 Strait is the Gate Andre Gide France Tianjin People’s Publishing House
7 9787532761760 201308 The Outsider Albert Camus France Shanghai Translation Publishing House
8 9787544269452 202112 Malice (2022 Edition) Keigo Higashino Japan Nan Hai Publishing Co.
9 9787541160868 202109 The Vegetarian Han Kang Korea Sichuan Literature & Art Press
10 9787506394864 201709 Sophie’s World Jostein Gaarder Norway The Writer’s Publishing House
11 9787530217054 201712 The Alchemist Paulo Coelho Brazil Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
12 9787220139291 202507 Klingsors Letzter Sommer Hermann Hesse Germany Sichuan People’s Publishing House
13 9787544291170 201708 One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) Gabriel García Márquez Colombia Nan Hai Publishing Co.
14 9787544298995 202009 Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2020 Edition) Keigo Higashino Japan Nan Hai Publishing Co.
15 9787555913726 202208 Flowers for Algernon Daniel Keyes United States of America Henan Literature & Art Press
16 9787513932134 202012 Siddhartha Hermann Hesse Germany Democracy and Construction Press
17 9787201142708 201812 Klingsor’s Last Summer Hermann Hesse Germany Tianjin People’s Publishing House
18 9787573500014 202111 The Devotion of Suspect X (2022 Edition) Keigo Higashino Japan Nan Hai Publishing Co.
19 9787573511270 202505 Age is a Feeling Haley McGee Canada Nan Hai Publishing Co.
20 9787513348362 202208 Look Back Tatsuki Fujimoto Japan New Star Press Co., Ltd.
International Nonfiction Bestsellers, August 2025
August 2025 Ranking ISBN Release Date Title (Translated) Author Author Nationality Chinese Publisher
1 9787020116133 201606 Red Star Over China Edgar Snow United States of America People’s Literature Publishing House
2 9787111495482 201504 The Courage to Be Disliked Ichiro Kishimi,Fumitake Koga Japan China Machine Press
3 9787201161693 202008 Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure Robert de Board Britain Tianjin People’s Publishing House
4 9787544276986 201910 Educated: A Memoir Tara Westover United States of America Nan Hai Publishing Co.
5 9787522200514 202105 Nonviolent Communication Marshall B.Rosenberg United States of America Huaxia Publishing House
6 9787521775181 202506 2049: Possibilities in the Next 10,000 Days Kevin Kelly United States of America CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd.
7 9787508653389 201507 The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War Ⅱ Iris Chang United States of America CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd.
8 9787550268517 201607 Positive Discipline (Revised Edition) Jane Nelsen United States of America Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
9 9787547743829 202303 China: A New Cultural History Cho-yun Hsu United States of America Beijing daily publishing house
10 9787521741124 202204 The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness Eric Jorgenson United States of America CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd.
11 9787521773651 202504 Murdle.Volume 1 G.T.Karber United States of America CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd.
12 9787515350622 201804 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen R.Covey United States of America China Youth Press
13 9787572621277 202412 Live Lam Chua Singapore Hunan Literature & Art Press
14 9787210096528 201709 Mindset: The New Psychology of Success Carol S.Dweck United States of America Jiangxi People’s Publishing House
15 9787201213095 202507 There Was in Me an Unconquerable Summer Albert Camus France Tianjin People’s Publishing House
16 9787515820903 201711 Reminiscences of a Stock Operator Edwin Lefevre United States of America China Industry and Commerce Joint Publishing Co., Ltd.
17 9787508661766 201606 The Power of Now Eckhart Tolle Germany CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd.
18 9787108009821 199807 1587, A Year of No Significance Ray Huang United States of America SDX Joint Publishing Company
19 9787516837375 202401 There’s An Elephant In Every Mosquito: Why We Don’t Get Upset About Little Things For No Reason Ernstfried Hanisch,Eva Wunderer Germany Taihai Publishing House
20 9787111703631 202204 The Effective Executive Peter F.Drucker United States of America China Machine Press
Notes on the Charts

OpenBook is a privately owned industry-data research firm based in Beijing. It functions somewhat as Nielsen and NDP do from the West, and Nielsen Book Research International has worked with OpenBook in Asian operations.With authoritative data and information resources, OpenBook is able to deliver consulting service to partners who would like to explore the Chinese book market and identify suitable partners.At last report, OpenBook monitored more than 26,000 online and off-line bookstores.The online channel includes digital retailers such as large self-operated online stores, platform stores, and small- and medium-sized stores.The off-line channels include more than 5,100 bookstores. Coverage includes most of the state-owned and influential privately owned bookstores in 30 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Tibet are not included in OpenBook’s system. In 2024, OpenBook tracked around 82.66 billion RMB in sales (US$11.39 billion). Retail outlets include:

  • Traditional bookstores;
  • Supermarkets;
  • Campus bookstores;
  • “Professional” stores, said to be small stores with a specific industrial or trade focus; and
  • Airport stores.

In addition, OpenBook is drawing data from online bookstores of three main types:

  • The “Tmall” stores of Alibaba (Tmall is described as a marketplace of companies that create storefronts online to sell products including books)
  • The “JingDong” Stores of JD.com (similar to Tmall as a marketplace of both individual companies and bookstores operated by JD.com)
  • Ten independent online bookselling retailers

Mainland China has 500 or more publishers in operation today. Most of them are government-owned. Private publishers are required to generate ISBNs for their titles from a publishing company that is government-owned—which, in other words, creates a system in which all ISBNs are registered through government channels. The government approves each book published in China.

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Rights Guide: 2025 Sheikh Zayed Book Award Winners

In our Rights Guide for the 2025 Sheikh Zayed Book Award Winners, you can discover the 2025 winners of this prestigious prize , plus all the past shortlisted titles and winners that are eligible for translation grants, to help publishers acquire the rights to some of the most acclaimed contemporary work of the Arab world.

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About the Author

Porter Anderson

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Porter Anderson has been named International Trade Press Journalist of the Year in London Book Fair's International Excellence Awards. He is Editor-in-Chief of Publishing Perspectives. He formerly was Associate Editor for The FutureBook at London's The Bookseller. Anderson was for more than a decade a senior producer and anchor with CNN.com, CNN International, and CNN USA. As an arts critic (Fellow, National Critics Institute), he was with The Village Voice, the Dallas Times Herald, and the Tampa Tribune, now the Tampa Bay Times. He co-founded The Hot Sheet, a newsletter for authors, which now is owned and operated by Jane Friedman.

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