Brill Celebrates 333 Years at Beijing International Book Fair

The international academic publisher Brill celebrated its 333-year anniversary at the 23rd Beijing International Book Fair (24 - 28 August). Several key events took place that are of strategic importance to Brill's presence and growth in China. Longstanding Brill author and editor and Leiden University Emeritus professor, prof. dr Leonard Blussé van Oud Alblas, was awarded the prestigious China Book Award during the BIBF opening ceremony. Later in the week, Brill received the honorary Exhibitor award from CNPIEC for its longstanding participation in the BIBF that celebrated its 30th anniversary since its opening year in 1986.

The festive Brill reception held on 24 August was opened by Ms Long Xiao, Deputy Director, Peking University Library. She highlighted Brill's longstanding relationship with Peking University and its Library, and mentioned the recently closed China Academic Social Sciences and Humanities Library (CASHL) consortium with Brill for eBooks.

At the reception, Brill's Executive Vice-President Sales and Marketing, Mr Peter Coebergh, signed two agreements. The first is a strategic partnership agreement with China National Import and Export Corporate (CNPIEC) to further strengthen Brill's brand and market penetration in China, and to greatly increase Brill's cooperation with China's largest and most competitive publication import and export enterprise.

"We are delighted to deepen our cooperation with Brill, seeking win-win results by complementing each other's advantages. Together, we will provide the Chinese libraries and end users with a wider range of high-quality, locally-hosted eBooks and eJournals, as well as professional services," says Ms Lin Liying, Vice President of CNPIEC.

Brill further signed a cooperation agreement with Renmin University to publish unique content from its journal T'oung Pao in Chinese. T'oung Pao is one of the oldest and most prestigious academic journals in the world on pre-modern and ancient China.

"Renmin University will publish a series of thematic volumes (Philosophy, History, Literature and Linguistics, etc.) in Chinese translation, to exhibit the history and development of over one hundred years of Sinology. We are delighted to sign this agreement with Brill at BIBF, as a celebration of this landmark cooperation between Renmin University and Brill," says Prof. Huiling Yang, Renmin University.

At the reception, Brill also launched its new research journal collection, Brill Research Perspectives (BRP). BRP is a collection of multidisciplinary reference journals in key research areas, several of which deal with topics relevant to China today.

During BIBF, Brill also signed a co-publishing agreement with Social Sciences Academic Press (SSAP) to start a new book series Deepening Reform and Opening-up in China. This series is devoted to the challenges and key issues in China's reform process.

Mr Peter Coebergh and Mrs Liesbeth Kanis (Managing Director of Brill Asia) further gave speeches, respectively at the International Digital Publishing Forum and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Think Tank Forum that took place during BIBF.

Mr Peter Coebergh says about Brill's attendance at BIBF: "Brill is grateful to have the opportunity to cooperate with strong and reputable partners in the Chinese market. Signing agreements with CNPIEC, Renmin University and SSAP reflects mutual trust and secures a healthy growth, which will be instrumental for our business to move forward. We are delighted to continue to grow our presence in China together with our trusted and respected Chinese partners."

About Brill
Founded in 1683 in Leiden, the Netherlands, Brill is a leading international academic publisher in the Humanities, Social Sciences, International Law and Biology. With offices in Leiden, Boston and Singapore, Brill annually publishes 265 journals and around 1000 new books and reference works, available in print and online. Brill also markets a large number of primary source research collections and databases. The company's key customers are academic and research institutions, libraries, and scholars. Brill is a publicly traded company and is listed on Euronext Amsterdam NV. For more information, visit www.brill.com.

About CNPIEC
China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Corporation (CNPIEC) is a large state-owned culture enterprise founded in 1949. CNPIEC passed ISO9001 quality management system certification in 2009. CNPIEC is the largest publication importer in China. It has over 10,000 domestic clients, including libraries, academic institutes and organizations. Its imported publications cover 370,000 varieties which account for over 60% of the import market share in China.

About Social Sciences Academic Press
Founded in 1985, Social Sciences Academic Press (?????????), the publishing wing of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences????????, is one of China's premium academic publishers specializing in books, journals, serial publications and digital products in the Humanities and Social Sciences. One of the most highly-acclaimed SSAP publications is the Yearbook???, Pishu, or 'coverbooks'?series. Published annually, they provide an authoritative source of reference and critical insights on China's latest development in a variety of areas. In collaboration with its many partners in the Asia Pacific Region, Europe and North America, Social Sciences Academic Press has co-published the English, Japanese, Russian and Korean editions of many outstanding works by Chinese scholars.

About Renmin University
Renmin University of China (RUC) is a comprehensive research-oriented university focusing on the Humanities and Social Sciences. Its predecessor Shanbei Public School was founded in 1937. With nine first-tier disciplines ranking no. 1 nationwide, Renmin University is well placed to become an influential leader in higher education in China. Renmin University also offers a range of courses in the Natural Sciences, Information Technology and Environmental Sciences. RUC is an important base for training high-caliber professionals and houses a number of influential research centers and think tanks.

Photo: From left to right: Mrs. Pang (Director of CNPIEC), Mrs Lin Liying, (Vice-President of CNPIEC), Mrs Long Xiao (Deputy Director, Peking University Library), Mr. Peter Coebergh (Executive Vice-President Marketing & Sales Brill), Mrs. Liesbeth Kanis (Managing Director Brill Asia), Prof. Yang (Renmin University)

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