The series, published annually, consists of a total of 17 books, each focusing on a particular subject.

The publishing house, which is affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, has made full use of its good relationship with the country's most talented scholars.

The book's authors are all renowned social scientists and well-established experts.

Among them are economist Wang Luolin, linguist Jiang Lansheng and Li Shenming. All three are vice-presidents of the academy.

Included on the list of authors are economist Liu Guoguang and philosopher Ru Xin, both of whom are former vice-presidents of the academy.

The books are a retrospective of China's socio-economic development over the last few years and a look forward to the country's forecast development in 2003.

They are both an important and authoritative reference source to those who are interested in China and its recent development.

In the Blue Book of China's Economy, the academy's economists have devoted themselves to analyzing the recent development of China's economy.

They predict that China's gross domestic product will grow by 7.9 per cent next year, following its 2002 growth rate of 7.8 per cent.

The book also includes many important Chinese economic indicators.

In the Green Book on Chinese Tourism, it is predicted that the country's tourism earnings will grow over the next few years.

Other books in the series include the Blue Book on Chinese Society, the Blue Book of Chinese Culture, and the Blue Book on Chinese Cities' Competitiveness.

There are also books dealing with international affairs and international politics, including the Blue Book on Europe, the Blue Book on the Asia-Pacific Region, the Blue Book on Japan, the Yellow Book on the International Economy and the Yellow Book of the World Situation.

(China Daily December 19, 2002)