A June day in Zhongshan Park in Fujian, a province on the southeastern coast of China. Image – Getty, iSweetRiver
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Market Favorite Authors Lead June’s Charts
We’re pleased to return to our long-running monthly China Bestsellers reports today after encountering one of those technical problems that make you think writing on papyrus wasn’t so bad, after all.
‘Everything Is Fine’
The technology appears to have smiled on us again at last, and we’re returning to this exclusive feature today with our June listings, in order to pick up where we’d left off. Special thanks to our friends and associates at Beijing OpenBook for their great patience as we wrestled with the machine.
We plan to have our July and August China Bestsellers listings out quite soon, so that none of the months impacted by these technical difficulties will remain unreported.
In June, two well-established authors gained new traction with fresh releases. The Chinese writer Ma Boyong added a new entry to his “Tiny Tales” series of historical fiction.
Having opened the series with The Litchi Road and The Annoyance of the Gods, Ma’s third entry in the series, hearteningly titled Everything is Fine, was published by Hunan Literature and Art Press in May and in June had reached the No. 3 spot on the OpenBook fiction list.
‘The Fabricated Criminal’
In fact, both The Litchie Road (2022) and The Annoyance of the Gods (2023) found new life on the charts, in June posting at Nos. 3 and 11 respectively.
The other prominent author whose new work was seen on the charts in June is the hugely popular Japanese writer Keigo Higashino’s The Fabricated Criminal from Zhejiang People’s Publishing House.
Published in China only in June, the book didn’t make the overall fiction list.
However, it had been released in Japan in November, and good word-of-mouth seems to have done its work: You’ll find it at N0. 11 on the international fiction list. Clearly, many of Higashino’s fans were looking forward to that translation.
‘Murdle,’ Volume 1
And in nonfiction in June, there was the unusual appearance of a game from the United States. “Murdle” is a series of murder mystery puzzle books, in which readers work on puzzles as they follow Detective Logico.
GT Garber is the American author, and was published by Macmillan in 2023. The first volume arrived on the Chinese market in April in its translation from CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd., and in June it appeared not only at No. 30 on the OpenBook overall nonfiction list but also at No. 5 on the international nonfiction list.
Below, then, are OpenBook’s overall lists from June 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, June 2025
| June 2025 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9787536097261 | 202207 | Someone To Talk To | Liu Zhenyun | Flower City Press |
| 2 | 9787515373850 | 202408 | Red Crag | Luo Guangbin,Yang Yiyan | China Youth Press |
| 3 | 9787572608582 | 202210 | The Litchi Road | Ma Boyong | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 4 | 9787557032821 | 202504 | If Journey to the West were a Group of Cats (1) | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 5 | 9787572624247 | 202505 | Everything Is Fine | Ma Boyong | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 6 | 9787530221532 | 202110 | To Live (2021 Edition) | Yu Hua | Beijing October Art & 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 | 9787201112695 | 201703 | Siddhartha | Hermann Hesse | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 11 | 9787572610912 | 202305 | The Annoyance of the Gods | Ma Boyong | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 12 | 9787512516236 | 202404 | Wait for Me Towards Light (vol.1) | Jiang Zi Bei | International Culture Publishing Corporation |
| 13 | 9787573510921 | 202412 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (2025 Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 14 | 9787574902398 | 202501 | She Came to Split the Mountain | Bing He Zhai, Qun Bai | Flower City Press |
| 15 | 9787201142708 | 201812 | Klingsor’s Last Summer | Hermann Hesse | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 16 | 9787580104199 | 202506 | Quagmire | Liu Chuxin | Lijiang Press |
| 17 | 9787512517219 | 202411 | Wait for Me Towards Light (vol.2) | Jiang Zi Bei | International Culture Publishing Corporation |
| 18 | 9787020002207 | 199807 | Dream of the Red Chamber | Cao Xueqin | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 19 | 9787559682390 | 202504 | My Dear Maltese | Maltese | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 20 | 9787530221396 | 202106 | Ordinary Word (3 Volumes)(2021 Edition) | Lu Yao | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 21 | 9787559662675 | 202302 | Meet in Spring | Zong Hu Xiu Hua | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 22 | 9787541161834 | 202207 | Notebook of a Grave Robber (1) | Nanpai Sanshu | Sichuan Literature & Art Press |
| 23 | 9787020139590 | 201906 | The Last Quarter of the Moon | Chi Zijian | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 24 | 9787559464606 | 202401 | End on the Tenth Day – The Prison Cage | Sha Chong Dui Dui Yuan | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 25 | 9787536097254 | 202207 | Chicken Feathers Everywhere | Liu Zhenyun | Flower City Press |
| 26 | 9787536094420 | 202107 | Laughter and Tears: A Novel | Liu Zhenyun | Flower City Press |
| 27 | 9787541161841 | 202207 | Notebook of a Grave Robber (2) | Nanpai Sanshu | Sichuan Literature & Art Press |
| 28 | 9787559481702 | 202404 | End on the Tenth Day – The Labyrinth City | Sha Chong Dui Dui Yuan | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 29 | 9787544766500 | 201701 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | Yilin Press |
| 30 | 9787559484581 | 202409 | A Woman’s Victory | Yu Hua | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
OpenBook’s Nonfiction Bestsellers, June 2025
| June 2025 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9787557033989 | 202502 | If History were a Group of Cats: Qing Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 2 | 9787111495482 | 201504 | The Courage to Be Disliked | Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga | China Machine Press |
| 3 | 9787557030599 | 202306 | If History were a Group of Cats: Xia, Shang and Western Zhou Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 4 | 9787557033118 | 202406 | If History were a Group of Cats: The Late Ming Dynasty and the Early Qing Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 5 | 9787557030582 | 202306 | If History were a Group of Cats: The Spring-autumn and Warring State Period | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 6 | 9787201161693 | 202008 | Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure | Robert de Board | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 7 | 9787020084357 | 201104 | I and the Temple of Earth | Shi Tiesheng | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 8 | 9787557017477 | 201902 | If History were a Group of Cats: Qin, Chu, Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 9 | 9787557031589 | 202311 | If History were a Group of Cats: The Ming Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 10 | 9787516840597 | 202412 | Chinese Culture 1000 Questions | Fan Yu | Taihai Publishing House |
| 11 | 9787557030162 | 202305 | If History were a Group of Cats: Late Yuan and Early Ming Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 12 | 9787557024413 | 202105 | If History were a Group of Cats: Prosperity of the Tang Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 13 | 9787557028657 | 202210 | If History were a Group of Cats: Southern Song, Jin and Yuan Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 14 | 9787557025847 | 202111 | If History were a Group of Cats: Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 15 | 9787557020149 | 201909 | If History were a Group of Cats: Three Kingdoms | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 16 | 9787557023041 | 202010 | If History were a Group of Cats: Sui and Tang Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 17 | 9787572623097 | 202504 | The Right Path | Feng Tang | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 18 | 9787557027063 | 202204 | If History were a Group of Cats: Song, Liao, Jin Dynasty and the Western Xia Regime | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 19 | 9787557020132 | 201909 | If History were a Group of Cats: The End of Eastern Han Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 20 | 9787557021856 | 202005 | If History were a Group of Cats: Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 21 | 9787521774665 | 202504 | The Great Way: Duan Yongping’s Investment Q&A | Munger College, Zhao Liya | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 22 | 9787214234346 | 201907 | During Two Thousand Years (Revised Edition) | Hu Sheng | Jiangsu People’s Publishing House |
| 23 | 9787544276986 | 201910 | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 24 | 9787550207479 | 201206 | Illustrate the World: 100 Most Beautiful Places in China | Editing Group of This Book | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 25 | 9787521741124 | 202204 | The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness | Eric Jorgenson | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 26 | 9787540483432 | 201711 | Jottings in Sickbed (Commemorative Edition 2021) | Shi Tiesheng | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 27 | 9787536094352 | 202109 | My Altay | Li Juan | Flower City Press |
| 28 | 9787513948623 | 202504 | Comic I Ching | Wang Xinrui | Democracy and Construction Press |
| 29 | 9787575403467 | 202409 | 1000 Questions on Chinese Culture | Bright Culture Research Center | Hunan Education Press |
| 30 | 9787521773651 | 202504 | Murdle, Volume 1, from CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
OpenBook’s Children’s Bestsellers, June 2025
| June 2025 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9787556889884 | 202505 | Treasure Hunting in Ningxia | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 2 | 9787556882236 | 202408 | Treasure Hunting in Jilin | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 3 | 9787522502816 | 202107 | Biography of Ao Bing (1) | Erstrovsky, Guji, Li Zilan | Jiuzhou Press |
| 4 | 9787807733911 | 202412 | Comics 1000 Questions of Chinese Culture | Gan Chao | Tricircle Press |
| 5 | 9787556878871 | 202311 | Treasure Hunting in Shanxi | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 6 | 9787556869589 | 202301 | Treasure Hunting in Beijing | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 7 | 9787558580949 | 202401 | Traveling with Poetry | Rizhi Books | The North China Women & Children’s Publishing House |
| 8 | 9787556869572 | 202301 | Treasure Hunting in Shanghai | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 9 | 9787556869824 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Xinjiang | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 10 | 9787556869664 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Shaanxi | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 11 | 9787556869602 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Chongqing | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 12 | 9787556869831 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Hainan | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 13 | 9787556869848 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Heilongjiang | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 14 | 9787556869855 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Neimenggu | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 15 | 9787556869640 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Zhejiang | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 16 | 9787556869596 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Tianjin | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 17 | 9787556869626 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Sichuan | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 18 | 9787556869695 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Yunnan | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 19 | 9787556869688 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Jiangsu | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 20 | 9787536574366 | 201601 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Stratego | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 21 | 9787556869633 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Hubei | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 22 | 9787556869732 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Guangdong | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 23 | 9787536574397 | 201601 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Clever Little Prodigy | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 24 | 9787556869756 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Hong Kong | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 25 | 9787536574380 | 201601 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Who’s the Smart Guy? | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 26 | 9787556869619 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Shandong | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 27 | 9787556869657 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Gansu | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 28 | 9787536574373 | 201601 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: The Great Adventure of the Castle | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 29 | 9787534633362 | 200505 | Bronze and Sunflower | Cao Wenxuan | Jiangsu Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 30 | 9787556869749 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Liaoning | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
International Fiction Bestsellers, June 2025
| June 2025 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author Nationality | Chinese Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9787201112695 | 201703 | Siddhartha | Hermann Hesse | Germany | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 2 | 9787573510921 | 202412 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (2025 Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 3 | 9787201142708 | 201812 | Klingsor’s Last Summer | Hermann Hesse | Germany | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 4 | 9787544766500 | 201701 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | United States of America | Yilin Press |
| 5 | 9787544291163 | 201708 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 6 | 9787541160868 | 202109 | The Vegetarian | Han Kang | Korea | Sichuan Literature & Art Press |
| 7 | 9787208061644 | 200604 | The Kite Runner | Khaled Hosseini | United States of America | Shanghai People’s Publishing House |
| 8 | 9787201141527 | 201810 | Strait is the Gate | Andre Gide | France | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 9 | 9787544298995 | 202009 | Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2020 Edition) | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 10 | 9787573500014 | 202111 | The Devotion of Suspect X (2022 Edition) | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 11 | 9787213119309 | 202506 | The Fabricated Criminal | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Zhejiang People’s Publishing House |
| 12 | 9787544269452 | 202112 | Malice (2022 Edition) | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 13 | 9787513348362 | 202208 | Look Back | Tatsuki Fujimoto | Japan | New Star Press Co., Ltd. |
| 14 | 9787544291170 | 201708 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 15 | 9787521748239 | 202212 | Goodbye, Eri | Tatsuki Fujimoto | Japan | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 16 | 9787532761760 | 201308 | The Outsider | Albert Camus | France | Shanghai Translation Publishing House |
| 17 | 9787559614711 | 201801 | Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit | Jeanette Winterson | Britain | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 18 | 9787513932134 | 202012 | Siddhartha | Hermann Hesse | Germany | Democracy and Construction Press |
| 19 | 9787544297059 | 202003 | Love in the Time of Cholera (3 Million Sold Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 20 | 9787573510037 | 202412 | You Killed Someone | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
International Nonfiction Bestsellers, June 2025
| June 2025 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author Nationality | Chinese Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9787111495482 | 201504 | The Courage to Be Disliked | Ichiro Kishimi,Fumitake Koga | Japan | China Machine Press |
| 2 | 9787201161693 | 202008 | Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure | Robert de Board | Britain | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 3 | 9787544276986 | 201910 | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | United States of America | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 4 | 9787521741124 | 202204 | The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness | Eric Jorgenson | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 5 | 9787521773651 | 202504 | Murdle, Volume 1 | GT Karber | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 6 | 9787020116133 | 201606 | Red Star Over China | Edgar Snow | United States of America | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 7 | 9787522200514 | 202105 | Nonviolent Communication | Marshall B.Rosenberg | United States of America | Huaxia Publishing House |
| 8 | 9787508661766 | 201606 | The Power of Now | Eckhart Tolle | Germany | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 9 | 9787550268517 | 201607 | Positive Discipline (Revised Edition) | Jane Nelsen | United States of America | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 10 | 9787201151656 | 201910 | A Room of One’s Own | Virginia Woolf | Britain | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 11 | 9787508675534 | 201710 | Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience | Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 12 | 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 |
| 13 | 9787521719253 | 202008 | The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) | Philippa Perry | Britain | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 14 | 9787513360364 | 202504 | The Fifth Consumption Era | Atsushi Miura | Japan | New Star Press Co., Ltd. |
| 15 | 9787108009821 | 199807 | 1587, A Year of No Significance | Ray Huang | United States of America | SDX Joint Publishing Company |
| 16 | 9787508633558 | 201207 | Thinking, Fast and Slow | Daniel Kanneman | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 17 | 9787301344897 | 202409 | A Global History from Prehistory to the 21st Century (Vol.1) | Leften Stavros Stavrianos | United States of America | Peking University Press |
| 18 | 9787301346228 | 202409 | A Global History from Prehistory to the 21st Century (Vol.2)) | Leften Stavros Stavrianos | United States of America | Peking University Press |
| 19 | 9787521730401 | 202108 | Poor Charlie’s almanack :the wit and wisdom of Charlie T. Munger | Peter D. Kaufman | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 20 | 9787201082134 | 201308 | Walden | Henry David Thoreau | United States of America | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
Notes on These 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
- 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
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.
More China bestseller reports from Publishing Perspectives are here, and more on the Chinese book publishing market is here.
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