The Planning of Publishing National Key Books, Audio-visual, and Electronic Publications in the “13th-Five Year Plan”, announced by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), recently listed ten Open University of China (OUC) Press Group projects, including three books and seven audio-visual projects.
The OUC has topped the competition in total number of items selected during recent years, outpacing all other audiovisual electronic publishing units nationwide, and tying for the first place with the Higher Education Electronic & Audio Visual Press.
Among the three books to be published, Experts Talking about Ancient Chinese Culture and Library of China's Distance Education Scholars were included in the social sciences and humanities publications planning, while China Foundry Development History was incorporated in the natural science and engineering technology category.
Experts Talking about Ancient Chinese Culture is a popular volume with a broad view of ancient society based on valuable information extracted from TV lectures delivered by a dozen famous experts, such as Wang Li, Qi Gong, Tan Qixiang, Yang Bojun, and more. The content relates to the fields of ancient astronomy-based calendars, administrative divisions in various dynasties, officials, civil services and imperial examinations, etiquette and the patriarchal clan system, religion, basic necessities of life, epigraphy, calligraphy and painting, bibliography, and phonology. It is a collection of the popularization achievements of the most learned group of masters from the last century who showcased various aspects of the broad and profound Chinese culture. The Library of China's Distance Education Scholars is a compilation of a series of books designed and complied by the OUC Press Group, in accordance with the positioning and development goals of the development of the “Distance Education Learning Resources and Academic Works Publishing Base” and on the basis of the practical needs of universal and lifelong learning, with the purpose of systematically presenting the latest and original research results of distance education in China in the mobile internet era. The library, a continuation of the national key publication planning project of the “12th Five-Year Plan”, was also awarded a national publication fund in 2016. The publication of the library will be of great significance to innovation surrounding academic discourse regarding distance education in our country. China Foundry Development History, whose compilation was presided over by the China Foundry Association, is the first series of books providing comprehensive details of the development of China's foundry industry in its three divisions of ancient modern and contemporary volumes. The whole series of books penetrate vertically into the development of China’s foundry industry in different periods, from prehistoric to modern times, and transversely digs into many disciplines relating to casting technology, including science, engineering, literature, history, philosophy, art, religion, etc. It summarized the historical contribution and a number of outstanding technical achievements of Chinese foundries, and drew an outline of the course of development, including the present situation and prospects of China’s foundry industry. The series is academic, popular, and practical.
Among the seven audiovisual projects selected for publication planning, the five projects of Lectures on Science Popularization by 100 Academicians and Experts (Second Series), Fifty Lectures on Ecological Civilization, Ancient Chinese Architectural Culture, One Land Breeds One Kind of Music: China Regional Music Culture, and Ghost Romance about Mathematics are from the OUC Open Forum, while Low Carbon Transformation for Families is a development project of the community education research and training centre. Sunlight Dialogue on Growth: Talking about Children's Psychological and Educational Issues with Parents is from the education and teaching department. Among them, Lectures on Science Popularization by 100 Academicians and Experts (Second Series) was included as a critical component of the audiovisual publication planning programme.
Lectures on Science Popularization by 100 Academicians and Experts (Second Series) uses sources from a large-scale public welfare science popularization project entitled, Science and China: Lectures by Academicians and Experts, which was jointly planned and launched by the OUC and the Academic Division of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. With a group of academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, as well as experts and scholars, it aimed to build a culture of innovation by disseminating scientific knowledge, spirit, and ideological values.
The Fifty Lectures on Ecological Civilization series interprets an ecological civilization through the lens of more than ten subjects, including industrial ecology, energy and power, chemical engineering, law, architecture, philosophy, and public policy, and put forward effective means and innovation direction for the construction of an "ecological civilization," as well as best practices to construct an ecological civilization.
Ancient Chinese Architectural Culture centers on the practicability, artistry, culture, and protection of heritages to interpret Chinese ancient architecture. Through the aesthetics, as well as historical and cultural clues hidden in architecture, it traces the unique and diverse customs and cultural roots of Chinese nations.
One Land Breeds One Kind of Music: China’s Regional Music Culture, with the help of the scientific principle of musical geography, utilizes the geography, topography, and water systems in our country to retrieve 31 representative music brands from across five regions, and explained how each Chinese music types are produced and their connection with nature, history, culture, and folklore so as to demonstrate the influence of traditional culture on music.
Ghost Romance about Mathematics uses the method and operational laws of mathematics to explain the life of common people, with the hope that learners could use mathematical logical thinking or mathematical inspiration to try to understand or solve problems encountered in life, thus enriching mathematics and providing a life rich with guiding principles.
Low Carbon Transformation for Families focuses on helping people transform from knowledge and theory to action and practices, guiding people to improve their home environment and change daily habits in areas such as energy-saving, water conservation, solar energy utilization, a green family, and kitchen waste compost, helping them to live an energy-efficient and comfortable, low-carbon lifestyle.
Sunlight Dialogue on Growth: Talking about Children's Psychological and Educational Issues with Parents cuts into the theme by speaking to the children. It raises targeted questions in the areas of educational philosophy, wisdom, egoism, positive (negative) quality, psychology, parent-child relationship, etc., elevates practical questions raised by the parents to the theoretical level, and offers categorized answers.
The OUC Press Group will arrange the implementation of the planned publication of projects selected in the “13th Five-Year Plan,” perfect the guarantee mechanism, strengthen quality control, and introduce masterpieces in a timely manner so as to provide readers with better resources and services while fulfilling its role as a national leader in publishing planning.
By OUC Press Group