Turning the page on a new chapter in learning

For generations of young readers, an illustrated encyclopedia has opened windows to the world. One reader's childhood favorite is now marking a milestone of its own.

For user Sora on Chinese review platform Douban, Chinese Children's Illustrated Encyclopedia (2001), a gift from his grandparents on his seventh birthday over 20 years ago, remains a pleasant reading experience.

"As a child, I truly loved this set of books. The abundance of pictures kept me engaged as a kid, and the explanations — which were not deliberately oversimplified — were a huge help to me in understanding the world at that age. As another review mentioned, this book sparked my curiosity for the world."

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the launch of Chinese Children's Illustrated Encyclopedia by the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House.

Thirty years ago, the ECPH decided to produce an encyclopedia for children in China. After five years of compilation, Chinese Children's Illustrated Encyclopedia was launched in 2001, ushering in a new era for children's books in China, says Gao Shiyi, president of the publishing house.

The book sought to provide authoritative, systematic and rigorous content, guided by the principle that "cultivating interest is more important than acquiring knowledge", Gao says.

With content organized by theme and a layout that emphasizes visuals and explains concepts through images, the encyclopedia set a precedent for original Chinese children's encyclopedias, Gao says.

Over the past 25 years, Chinese Children's Illustrated Encyclopedia has won numerous honors, including the National Science and Technology Progress Award. It has been translated into ethnic languages in China, such as Mongolian and Uygur, as well as more than 10 foreign languages, including English, Russian and Arabic.

To date, different editions of the children's encyclopedia have sold more than 17 million copies in total.

In the late 1990s, several publishers in China had produced children's encyclopedias, but they generally stuck to the traditional format. These books mostly featured text accompanied by black-and-white illustrations, making the presentation of information somewhat dull and uniform.

At the same time, China began importing encyclopedias from Britain, Japan, France, Germany and South Korea. Editors at ECPH noticed that, despite their limited text, these books conveyed knowledge in a way that was particularly well-suited to children. Even more impressive were their beautifully crafted illustrations and high-quality printing, which enhanced their appeal and educational value.

However, the editors also identified a major problem with these imported books. Much of their content was far removed from the lives of Chinese children because it lacked real-life subjects relevant to them, such as China's geography, natural resources, plants and animals, historical and cultural traditions, and philosophy. Even the characters in the books mostly had yellow hair and blue eyes.

Targeted at children aged 9 to 15, the first edition of Chinese Children's Illustrated Encyclopedia included knowledge tailored to Chinese children, covering traditional Chinese culture and achievements in various fields of the country's social development, such as history, ethnic groups, tourist attractions, geography, science and technology, and sports.

However, this does not mean that the book is confined to Chinese civilization.

Commenting on the book, writer Su Shuyang says, "What makes this book distinctively Chinese is that it uses a Chinese way of thinking, a Chinese perspective, and Chinese values to embrace all the finest achievements of world civilization — adapting them to China, and genuinely serving the growth of Chinese children and young people."

To help children understand that human civilizations flourish together and coexist in diversity, that each major civilization has its own splendor, and that Chinese civilization is an indispensable part of world civilization, the content is organized according to a narrative approach based on equality among civilizations and two-way comparisons.

For example, the book presents the Sanxingdui civilization alongside ancient Greek civilization. When introducing navigation satellite systems, it covers both the US GPS and China's independently developed Beidou system. When presenting myths and legends, it includes ancient Greek and Norse myths, as well as the Chinese story of Nyuwa repairing the sky and The Classic of Mountains and Seas.

To capture children's attention, the book features more than 3,000 illustrations, including panoramic real-life images, large hand-drawn pictures, conceptual diagrams and anatomical drawings.

Instead of imposing scientific conclusions on children, the book uses engaging illustrations and a narrative that gradually builds in complexity, says paleoichthyologist Zhu Min.

This approach allows children to naturally explore topics such as the evolution of life, the origin of the universe and Chinese technological achievements as they turn the pages, gently nurturing their scientific curiosity and understanding.

In the "Evolution" section, the book includes five reconstructed images of ancient fish from 430 million years ago. These images represent the latest scientific discoveries by Zhu and his team, revealing some of the earliest jawed fish on Earth.

For Zhu, one of the most important goals in creating an encyclopedia for children is to preserve their curiosity and inspire their creativity.

"Identifying and posing questions are just as important as solving them," says Zhu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a member of the encyclopedia's editorial board.

Zhu encourages children to ask all kinds of unusual questions and seek answers for themselves.

"We all make mistakes, and there's nothing to fear. Life evolves through a process of trial and error," he says.