Recently, the National Press and Publication Administration announced the 14th Five-Year Plan for the Publishing Industry, which focuses on the long-term goal of building a strong publishing country by 2035 and comprehensively describes the development blueprint and work direction of the publishing industry during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.

The Special Plan for the Publication of National Key Books, Audio-Visual Products, and Electronic Publications during the 14th Five-Year Plan Period,” as a key task of the “Project to Guarantee the High-quality Development of the Publishing Industry,” was issued at the same time, and seven OUC Publishing & Media Group projects, including three book publishing planning projects and four audio-visual publishing planning projects, were selected as part of the Special Plan.

Beyond Distance Education: Cutting-Edge Perspectives on the Future of Global Open Universities, a volume presented in Chinese and English and with Dr. Jing Degang, secretary of the Party Committee and president of the Open University of China (OUC) as chief editor, brings together a collection of articles written by leaders from 16 well-known open universities and distance education institutions around the world. The authors discuss their experiences of combating Covid-19 epidemic and their thoughts on the development of the post-pandemic era, providing a reference for the future strategic development of online education and open distance education and the reform of traditional education systems.

The series Research on a Service System for Lifelong Learning for All, with Professor Chen Li, vice president of Beijing Normal University, as chief editor, is made up of 21 volumes. It focuses on outstanding problems in the National Qualification Framework, the Credit Bank, and the construction of the Learning Achievement Certification System from a variety of perspectives. It explores the construction of a new learning space system and a path for the implementation of new forms of educational organisations and integration of degree and non-degree education, as well as innovative practices in terms of learning cities and social governance, so as to serve the country and actively respond to the needs of the population ageing strategy and the construction of a strong educational power.

 The series Research on Open Education Towards 2035, with Researcher Yang Xiaotang, former vice president of the OUC, as chief editor, consists of eight volumes. The series describes the role of open education in promoting discipline construction and the popularisation of higher education in China, as well as the construction of a lifelong education system. It compares international practices in open education, discusses the new development opportunities and challenges facing open education under the wave of MOOCs and mobile learning, and explores a Chinese model and solution for open education.

Public Crisis and Emergency Management, which features experts including Xue Lan, professor of the School of Public Management of Tsinghua University, and Shan Chunchang, leader of the Emergency Management Expert Group of the State Council, as chief editors, disseminates scientific knowledge on public crises and offers professional knowledge education on public crisis management for the public from three dimensions: public risk and crisis form cognition, hot topics relating to public crisis and emergency management theory, and public crisis and emergency management practice frontiers. It helps readers to strengthen their sense of preparedness and enhances literacy in terms of national crisis prevention and responses.

Stories of China’s City Walls, with famous Chinese cultural relics protection experts, including Xie Chensheng, Jiang Zanchu and Liang Baiquan, as major authors, introduces the historical culture, archaeological research, process of protection, and inheritance and utilisation of China’s city walls via images and stories. It reveals the value of city walls in terms of history, culture, civilisation, social impact, environment, science, art, economy, and emotion, and explores their historical significance, while also discussing the sustainable inheritance of cultural heritage.

Stronger Manufacturing, Stronger China-Strategies for Developing a Manufacturing Power II: Shifting from Speed to Quality in Development is the second volume of the national key publication publishing planning project of the 13th Five-Year Plan period,“Stronger Manufacturing, Stronger China: From a Manufacturing Power Strategy to ‘Made in China 2025’ Plan”. It is a project jointly planned by the OUC and the Strategic Consulting Centre of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAS), and implemented by the OUC Publishing & Media Group. The main authorial team is made up of dozens of CAS academicians and experts, including Zhu Gaofeng, Li Peigeng, and Gan Yong. The project, with a focus on “Building a Stronger Country in terms of Manufacturing and Quality” in the 14th Five-Year Plan period, mainly introduces technological innovation approaches, practical achievements, and future development trends as China rises to be a leader in the manufacturing industry and sees a shift from high-speed growth to high-quality development in its traditional industries.

Discovering the Brain: Exploring the Research on Brain Science and Brain-inspired Intelligence, edited by experts in the field of brain science and cognitive science such as Yang Xiongli and Chen Lin, academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, covers the structure and function of brain science, the mechanism, diagnosis, and treatment of brain diseases, and research on brain-inspired intelligence. It aims to popularise basic knowledge and cutting-edge research results related to brain science, improve awareness of brain health, and help people to understand the strategic significance of the “China Brain Project.”

The Special Plan for the Publication of National Key Publications during the 14th Five-Year Plan period is an important starting point for the press and publishing industry to further improve its capacity to publish high-quality products, boost high-quality development, and build a strong socialist country in terms of culture and publishing. The special plan consists of two major parts and 11 sub plans relating to books and audio-visual electronic publications, and is expected to cover about 3,000 projects. The 1,929 planning projects selected this time, include 1,753 book projects and 176 audio-visual electronic publication projects. The projects listed in the special plan will also be included in the key publications supported by the national publishing fund and the special fund for ancient book sorting and publishing.

The selection of seven projects from the OUC Publishing & Media Group not only marked a successful conclusion to the Group’s work in 2021, but also represented a good start for its work in 2022. Looking forward to 2022, the Group will carefully arrange for the implementation and management of the projects included, improving its guarantees mechanisms, strengthening quality supervision, and promoting the publication of excellent projects in a solid and efficient way. It will give full play to the leading role of the national plan and assume its due responsibilities as an educational publishing enterprise with better resources and services.

By OUC Publishing & Media Group