The Commercial Press

FAQ

Q1.	Why are we called "The Commercial Press"?
Q2.	How is The Commercial Press (H.K.) Ltd. related to the Commercial Press of other places?
Q3.	How is The Commercial Press a modern publisher?

Q1:	Why are we called "The Commercial Press"?
A:	A press, as the word suggests, refers to a printing press or a printing business. The Commercial Press was first set up in Shanghai in 1897 as a printer. Its founders, Xia Ruifang, Bao Xianen, Bao Xianchang, Bao Xianheng, Gao Fengchi, etc., studied English typesetting after graduation from missionary school. Xia Ruifang worked as a typesetter with two newspapers, the Zilinxibao and the Jiebao, while the Bao brothers and Gao were printing apprentices at the Huamei Press. With their knowledge in the field, they set up their own small shop, printing books, ledgers, receipts and other paper products for commercial use, and, in the style of the Huamei Press, named their printing shop The Commercial Press. The name clearly reflected its humble origin. However, in the early years the company acquired other printing shops and expanded its business so rapidly that it soon developed into a big enterprise. It invested liberally on research, recruitment of skilled technicians, overseas study tours, technological improvement and invention of new machinery, and thereby became the pioneer of modern Chinese printing. While advancement in printing is closely linked to cultural development, what made The Commercial Press famous was its book publishing business. The evolution from printing to publishing is a characteristic development common to many world-renowned publishers. The Commercial Press began with the compilation of English-Chinese bilingual readers. In 1902, Zhang Yuanji, a famous scholar of the time, joined the company and led the company into the publishers' hall of fame. The Commercial Press was heading for the transformation from a small family-run printing business into the largest cultural and educational publishing enterprise in modern Chinese history.
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Q2:	How is The Commercial Press (H.K.) Ltd. related to the Commercial Press of other places?
A:	Our company and the Beijing Commercial Press The Commercial Press (H.K.) Ltd. was set up in Hong Kong in 1914 as an offshoot of the original Commercial Press, whereas the Beijing Commercial Press evolved from the original Commercial Press which moved from Shanghai to Beijing in 1954. The two companies have close business ties as long-term partners. Together with the Taiwan Commercial Press, we jointly own the Commercial Press International Ltd and share the same mission of enhancing learning, disseminating new knowledge and promoting Chinese culture. Our company and the Taiwan Commercial Press The Taiwan Commercial Press was set up in Taiwan in 1948 as a branch of the original Commercial Press. We and the Taiwan company also have close business ties as long-term partners. Together with the Beijing Commercial Press, we jointly own the Commercial Press International Ltd and share the same mission of enhancing learning, disseminating new knowledge and promoting Chinese culture. Our company and retail business The Commercial Press (H.K.) Ltd. is a comprehensive publishing enterprise with diversified businesses encompassing traditional ones and new ones based on digital technology. They include editing, publishing, book distribution and retailing. Our retail business is an important arm of our company. At present, it operates the largest chain of bookstores in Hong Kong with 13/15? retail shops over Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories.
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Q3:	How is The Commercial Press a modern publisher?
A:	The Commercial Press (H.K.) Ltd. has always committed itself to the promotion of culture and education. Along with the new trends of the Information Age, it integrates traditional publishing, distribution and retailing with multimedia publishing and the Internet. The application of computer technology has facilitated its diversification into a trans-regional comprehensive multimedia publishing and marketing enterprise. New mode of publishing While engaging in and building on traditional publishing of printed books, we have ventured into multimedia publishing and developed the world's first Chinese dictionary CD-ROM, the Hanyu Dacidian CD-ROM 1.0, The Forbidden City CD-I (the "International Emma Award" winner), Hong Kong Stamps CD-ROM (the "SEYBOLD Award" winner), etc. We have online digital publishing of e-books by which readers can pay to read quality publications online. We have reference tools and dictionaries with multiple search functions such as the Hanyu Dacidian Network Version and the word bank of the Commercial Press Education Website. We offer print-on-demand service which makes possible the availability of rare out-of-print works. New Modes of Retailing Our retail shops and online sales network make us the largest comprehensive bookstore in Hong Kong. Our 13/15 shops located in every corner of Hong Kong sell over 100,000 worldwide titles of all kinds. We also own retail shops in Singapore and Malaysia selling books as well as Chinese stamps. Applying advanced Internet technology and the SET payment system, our online bookstore is a cross-regional and global network, circulating all kinds of publications from over the world. Our close association with The Commercial Press of Beijing and Taiwan and the Sino United Publishing Group gives us the advantage to become the only online bookstore in the world to date to provide the most Chinese titles with stock available for the Greater Chinese book market. Language Databank The Commercial Press has long been renowned for its compilation of dictionaries. The recent establishment of a massive language databank helps us keep abreast of the times in dictionary compilation and contribute to language learning. At present, success is achieved in the development of a Chinese word bank with easy access and search functions. In the near future, bilingual databanks will be developed to integrate with Chinese other languages like English, Japanese, German, French and Spanish. Internet Technology Development We are constantly opening up our websites and developing IT and multimedia designs to provide modern and advanced services and educational products. Product Distribution In addition to our own publications, we distribute other Hong Kong publications and those of mainland China and overseas. Our distribution network encompasses Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Europe, America and Japan. Our advanced and efficient distribution network and logistic system offer innovative diversified electronic services, including business-to-business service, bulk subscription, electronic subscription, online promotion service, credit-card joint promotion, and so on.