Commercial Press
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1 January 1897 in Shanghai, China |
| Founder | Xia Ruifang and associates |
| Headquarters | Beijing , China |
Area served | China and overseas Chinese communities |
Key people | Zhang Yuanji (leader from 1903), Wang Yunwu (general manager from 1921) |
| Products | Dictionaries, textbooks, teaching materials, periodicals, scholarly publications, translations |
| Parent | China Publishing and Media Holdings Co., Ltd. |
| Website | www |
The Commercial Press (), established in 1897 in Shanghai by Xia Ruifang and his associates, holds the distinction of being China's earliest modern publishing enterprise. Renowned for its scholarly publications and translations within the humanities and social sciences, it is particularly recognized for producing the Xinhua Dictionary. The founders, having received training at the American Presbyterian Mission Press, initially focused on publishing works such as Bibles.
From 1903 to 1914, The Commercial Press engaged in a partnership with the Japanese textbook publisher Kinkōdō, through which it acquired advanced printing technologies and diversified into producing lantern slides and films. Under the leadership of Zhang Yuanji starting in 1903, the company introduced prominent textbook series and periodicals like Dongfang Zazhi (Eastern Miscellany), aligning its output with reforms in Chinese education.
In 1914, Xia Ruifang was murdered amid efforts to purchase Japanese shareholders’ stakes. Subsequently, in 1917, The Press procured film equipment from a defunct American firm based in Nanjing and began creating documentaries intended to supplant foreign films that had been criticized for their unfavorable depictions of Chinese society.
The Commercial Press endured severe damage during the 1932 bombing by the Imperial Japanese Army in Shanghai. This attack obliterated its headquarters and the Oriental Library—which housed over 500,000 volumes including rare manuscripts—as well as management offices, storage facilities, and printing presses, resulting in an estimated loss of 80% of its assets.
Currently headquartered in Beijing, The Commercial Press continues to be a foremost publisher of Chinese language educational resources such as dictionaries, textbooks, teaching materials, and the cultural periodical The World of Chinese.
Qing dynasty
Established in 1902 during the Qing dynasty, The Commercial Press was a pioneer in producing primary school textbooks for China starting in 1903 and published approximately 2,550 secondary education textbooks that saw widespread national use. It also launched influential periodicals including Eastern Miscellany (1904), Education Magazine (1909), Fiction Monthly (1910), and Youth Magazine (1911). By 1907, it had expanded into a new facility.
Republic of China
During the Republic of China period, The Commercial Press experienced substantial expansion. Following the assassination of founder Xia Ruifang in 1914, it established a branch in Hong Kong and introduced Students' Magazine. Its inaugural dictionary was published in 1915, followed by an extension into Singapore in 1916.
In 1921, with general manager Wang Yunwu—appointed upon recommendation by Hu Shih—the company modernized its operations and issued the first edition of Zhongguo Renming Dacidian, recognized as China's oldest and most authoritative biographical dictionary.
The Oriental Library
Opened in Shanghai in 1924, the Oriental Library was among China's largest private collections. In 1929, it released the comprehensive 4,000-volume encyclopedic series Wanyou Wenku. However, on February 1, 1932, buildings housing The Commercial Press and Oriental Library were destroyed by Japanese bombing during the January 28 Incident. Despite this devastation, business activities recommenced by August of that year.
People's Republic of China
Following the People's Liberation Army's entry into Shanghai in 1949, The Commercial Press shifted its operations away from mainland China. By 1954, the company had relocated its headquarters to Beijing, redirecting its emphasis toward Western academic works. In 1993, distinct branches located in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia collaborated to establish The Commercial Press International Limited as a joint venture. The Beijing branch transitioned into a limited liability company in 2011. Later that same year, China Publishing and Media Holdings Co., Ltd. was created to serve as its parent organization.
Beijing
Subsidiaries under the Beijing branch encompass the Chinese Editing Center (汉语编辑中心), Academic Editing Center (学术编辑中心), English Editing Room (英语编辑室), Foreign Language Editing Room (外语编辑室), UNESCO Editing Center (教科文编辑中心), and the Online Publication Center (数字出版中心).
The Commercial Press International Co., Ltd. (商务印书馆国际有限公司) was established in 1993 through a partnership among TCP branches situated in Beijing, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur.
Founded in 1981, The World of English Inc. (《英语世界》杂志社有限公司) operates within the group.
Additionally, The World of Chinese Magazine (《汉语世界》杂志社有限责任公司) is managed under the same corporate umbrella.
Branches
- The Commercial Press (Nanning) Ltd. (商务印书馆（南宁）有限责任公司)
- The Commercial Press (Chengdu) Ltd. (商务印书馆（成都）有限责任公司): Established April 2011
- The Commercial Press (Shanghai) Ltd. (商务印书馆（上海）有限公司): Founded 2011
- The Commercial Press (Hangzhou) Ltd. (商务印书馆（杭州）有限公司): Founded June 2012
- The Commercial Press (Shenzhen) Ltd. (商务印书馆（深圳）有限公司): Founded September 2012
- The Commercial Press (Taiyuan) Ltd. (商务印书馆（太原）有限公司/商務印書館太原分馆): Founded January 2013
Former subsidiaries
- Dongfang Tushuguan/Oriental Library (東方圖書館): Founded in 1925 and destroyed in 1932
- The Commercial Press (Hong Kong) Limited (商務印書館（香港）有限公司): Originated in 1914 as a TCP subsidiary from Beijing; incorporated in 1988; later integrated into Sino United Publishing (Holdings) Limited
- Commercial Press (HK) Cyberbooks Ltd. (商務印書館（香港）網上書店有限公司): An online bookstore launched in 1999 under the name CP BooksNet; the CP1897.com website commenced operations in 2000 with SUNeVision collaboration
- The Commercial Press Hong Kong Printing Factory: Founded in 1924; merged into C & C Joint Printing Co., Ltd. in 1980
- Hong Kong Educational Publishing Company: Established in 1979 focusing on educational textbooks and reference materials
- Bloomsbury Books Limited: Acquired by TCP Hong Kong in November 2005 to enhance professional legal and business publishing offerings
- EdFun Limited (同學坊): Founded in 2005
- The Commercial Press, Ltd. (臺灣商務印書館股份有限公司): Taiwan branch initiated activities in 1948; became independent due to government regulations in 1949; officially registered as a company in October 1950
- The Commercial Press (S) Pte. Limited: Began as TCP's Singapore branch in 1916; currently operates as a subsidiary of Sino United Publishing
- K. L. Commercial Book Company (M) Sdn. Bhd.: Established as TCP's Malaysia branch in 1956; registered independently as a limited company in 1987; now part of Sino United Publishing
See also
Publications
- The Chinese abroad, their position and protection: a study in international law and relations (1933), issued by The Commercial Press, Limited
- An English and Chinese standard dictionary: comprising 120,000 words and phrases, with translations, pronunciations, definitions, illustrations, etc. (1908), edited by 顏惠慶, released by The Commercial Press, Ltd.
External links
- [Official website]