Book series Stories of China Retold in English Photo: Courtesy of Li Chun

　　A seminar on the new book series Stories of China Retold in English was held by the People's Publishing House in Beijing on Sunday. The series' chief editor Hu Min and associate editors He Jie, William Brown and Paul White as well as other major book industry representatives attended the event.

　　The book series will cover six topics: Chinese Cultural Icons, Chinese Customs, Chinese Arts, Chinese Achievements, Chinese Sages and Great Figures, and Chinese Spirit.

　　Hu is a well-known English education expert in China with decades of teaching experience in the area of IELTS. Having helped many Chinese students pass the language exam and study abroad, Hu told the Global Times in an interview he found that Chinese students are too often good foreign culture absorbers instead of Chinese storytellers, something he wants to change.

　　Brown and White have both lived and worked in China for decades.

　　Brown is a US professor at Xiamen University in East China's Fujian Province and is often called a zhongguotong (a foreigner who knows a lot about China). At the event, Brown said he thinks the stories in the books will allow overseas readers to understand China's peaceful characteristics and come to see why China is one of the world's oldest living civilizations.

　　White is a veteran English-Chinese translator from the UK who used to work for the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration. White noted that he appreciates that the book series does not only introduce readers to China's splendid history, but also reveals its vigorous modern development.

　　Both Brown and White said they were particularly excited that the books include the story of China's high speed trains. At the event, White noted that the high-speed bullet train system epitomizes China's technology innovation capability, and Brown said he was proud to witness the application of this "miracle" in China.

　　Released just before World Book and Copyright Day, Hu said the series is a gift to Chinese students learning English, especially adolescents, as well as to foreigners who long to learn about Chinese culture.