商务印书馆

历史
　　商务印书馆于1897年2月11日创立于上海，至今已走过了近110年的历程。它的创立标志着中国现代出版业的开始。一百多年来，商务印书馆从最初一个小小的印刷作坊，逐步发展成为现当代中国首屈一指的出版和文化机构，历经沧桑、默默耕耘，人才荟萃、名家辈出，至今出版各类书刊近5万种，为开启民智、昌明教育、普及知识、传播文化、扶助学术做出了重要的贡献，得到几代国家领导人的重视，正如陈云同志所说，“是一个很重要的文化教育事业单位”。
　　以张元济、夏瑞芳为首的老一辈出版家，平地为山、艰苦创业，为商务的发展打下了坚实的基础。早在商务创立不久就成立股份公司，并从此先后延请高梦旦、王云五等一大批杰出人才，开展以出版为中心的多种经营，实力迅速壮大，编写大、中、小学等各类学校教科书，编纂《辞源》等大型工具书，译介《天演论》《国富论》等西方学术名著，出版鲁迅、巴金、冰心、老舍等现当代著名作家的文学作品，整理《四部丛刊》等重要古籍，编辑“万有文库”“大学丛书”等大型系列图书，出版《东方杂志》《小说月报》《自然界》等各科杂志十数种，创办东方图书馆、尚公小学校，制造教育器械，甚至拍摄电影等。极盛时期，商务有员工5000多人，在海内外设有分馆36个，各类办事机构1000多个，所出书刊占全国60%以上，创造了中国现代出版业的诸多第一，成为当时亚洲最大的出版机构，在海内外铸造了商务印书馆的这个民族出版业最著名的品牌，成为堪与北大媲美的文化重镇。从这座文化重镇里，走出了一大批杰出人物，陈云、张元济、茅盾、陈叔通、周建人、胡愈之、王云五、郑振铎、叶圣陶、蒋梦麟、竺可祯、黄宾虹、袁翰青、陈翰伯、陈原……这些光辉的名字都写在了商务的史册上。二十世纪三四十年代，日寇侵华，国难不息，商务也饱受兵燹，两度惨遭破坏，艰于维持。但是，在百般艰苦的环境下，商务坚持“为国难而牺牲，为文化而奋斗”之精神，依然举起文化抗战和国家复兴之大旗，与各界人士共同努力，出书不辍，奋斗不歇。
现状
　　新中国成立后，商务积极完成公私合营改造，并1954年迁至北京，在中央的大力支持下开始了新的奋斗历程。1958年，全国出版社业务分工，商务承担了翻译出版国外哲学社会科学和编纂出版中外语文辞书等出版任务，逐渐形成了以“汉译世界学术名著”“世界名人传记”为代表的翻译作品，和《辞源》《新华字典》《现代汉语词典》《英华大词典》等为代表的中外文语文辞书为主要支柱的出版格局。
　　改革开放以来，特别是近10年来，在汉译世界学术名著和辞书两大支柱之外，商务人锐意进取，积极、稳妥地开拓新的出版领域，比如大力扶持出版国内学者的原创性学术研究，出版传播国内学者的一流研究成果；针对青少年和大众读者，开发素质教育读物和文化普及读物；与哈佛商学院出版公司合作，翻译出版哈佛商学院的畅销经管图书；成立商务印书馆世界汉语教学研究中心，旨在以学术研究带动对外汉语教材研发，把中心建成世界汉语教学精品图书的研发基地和出版基地。以开启民智、昌明教育为宗旨，秉承普及知识、传播文化、扶助学术的出版理念，商务不追风，不逐利，踏踏实实为海内外读者服务、为广大学人服务，出版规模不断扩大。近些年陆续出版的《现代汉语词典》第5版、《故训汇纂》及“新华”系列汉语辞书，“新时代”“精选”“牛津”“朗文”等几大系列外语辞书，影印文津阁本《四库全书》、商务印书馆文库50种等大型原创学术著作，以及“汉译世界学术名著”10辑400种、《蓝海战略》等哈佛经管图书150种，等等，都深受海内外亿万读者的欢迎，成为图书市场上商务代表性品牌。有100多种精品书刊相继荣获国家图书奖、国家期刊奖等省部级以上重要奖项。一直以来，商务在出版行业处于领军地位，始终有较大的影响力，目前是中国出版工作者协会、中国书刊发行业协会、中国编辑学会、中国辞书学会、中国版权保护协会等行业团体的副会长单位。
　　为了长远发展，商务在人才队伍建设、信息化建设、开拓经营领域以及国际合作等方面，都下了很大力气，已经形成业内较强的竞争力，奠定了可持续发展的坚实基础。现有正式员工275人，其中，90人拥有硕士、博士学位，97人拥有副编审以上高级职称，学术水平和专业素养较高。一批年轻人走上管理岗位，成为业务骨干，促进了管理队伍和技术队伍的年轻化、知识化。商务在出版行业内较早利用新兴的计算机和网络技术，实施全面、系统的信息化建设，开发了在国内出版界领先的辞书语料库及编纂系统、门户网站、管理信息系统，正一步步实现生产、管理、销售的自动化、网络化。此外还积极开拓与出版业务相关的经营领域，目前成立并控股北京群益物业公司、北京商易华信息技术公司、北京涵芬楼书店有限公司等经营性机构，在上海、太原、长春、武汉、南京等地开设专卖店等，在多种经营上迈开了坚实的步伐。商务有着良好的国际合作关系，不仅与香港、台北、新加坡、吉隆坡等地的海外4家商务印书馆进行经常性的业务交流，而且还合资成立并控股了一家出版机构——商务印书馆国际有限公司。此外，商务还与牛津大学出版社、朗文出版公司、拉鲁斯出版公司、哈佛商学院出版公司以及小学馆、斗山东亚出版公司等世界著名出版机构保持着密切的合作关系。版权贸易活跃，每年引进和输出图书200多种。
　　现在，商务年出图书800种左右，其中新书350种左右，重印书450种左右；此外还出版《英语世界》《汉语世界》杂志及《中国语文》《方言》等重要学术期刊20种，以及部分音像制品。据近几年开卷图书市场调查报告显示，在全国图书零售市场上，商务出版的中外语文辞书处于绝对领先地位。2005年全年出版码洋5.4亿元，利润超过5000万元。各项指标在全国综合性出版社中均位居前列。
　　可以说，经过改革开发20多年来的努力，商务印书馆现在已经成为风格比较突出、特色比较明显、文化底蕴比较深厚、发展势头比较稳健、在中国现代出版史上拥有独特地位、在海内外具有广泛影响的一家著名出版单位。
　　商务印书馆现隶属于新组建的中国出版集团，正以崭新的姿态迎接我国文化体制改革和出版体制创新的机遇和挑战。

The Commercial Press in the past
The Commercial Press (CP) was founded in Shanghai on February 11, 1897. Its founding marked the beginning of modern publishing industry in China. Through the hardships and vicissitudes of the past hundred or so years, CP has grown from a small printing workshop into one of the largest publishing and cultural institutions in contemporary China. Among its ranks came forth a large number of talented editors and scholars. So far, it has brought out nearly 50,000 titles for generations of Chinese and international readers, making important contributions to broadening China's academic, educational and cultural vision. No wonder it is highly commended as 'an important cultural and educational institution'.

Our founders started from scratch and worked industriously to lay down a solid foundation for CP. Shortly after it was founded, CP turned into a joint-stock company, employing a large number of talented people to develop a diversified economy centering on the publishing industry, thus expanding its power rapidly. It wrote textbooks for all kinds of schools and universities; it compiled big-sized reference books such as Ci Yuan (A Dictionary of Chinese Etymology); it translated Western famous academic works such as Evolution and Ethics and The Wealth of Nations; it published literary works by modern and contemporary Chinese famous writers such as Lu Xun, Ba Jin, Bing Xin and Lao She; it sorted out important ancient books such as Si Bu Cong Kan (Four Classics Series); it edited book series such as 'Universal Library' and 'College Book Series'; it published periodicals such as Oriental Magazine, Short Story Monthly and The Nature; it set up Oriental Library and Shanggong Primary School; it manufactured educational equipment and apparatus; and it even made films. At its heyday, CP boasted a staff of over 5,000, with 36 branches and 1,000 representative offices in and out of China, and its publications accounting for at least 60% of the nation's total. It created numerous 'No. 1' in China's modern publishing industry and became the biggest publishing institution in Asia. As the best-known name in China's publishing industry, the Commercial Press earned the same important place as Peking University so far as culture is concerned. From this important center of culture came forward a large number of outstanding political and intellectual leaders.. Their glorious names have been written into the history of CP. In the 1930s and 40s, Japan invaded China, and CP suffered great losses, too. It was twice heavily damaged and difficult to keep on with its business. However, despite the hardships and difficulties, CP managed to work incessantly and produce books constantly by adhering to the spirit of 'making sacrifices for the national catastrophe and making contributions to the cultural development', by holding up the banner of the cultural resistance and the national revival, and by making concerted efforts with Chinese people of all circles.

The Commercial Press today
After the founding of New China in 1949, the Commercial Press took an active part in the socialist transformation of privately-owned enterprises and was removed to Beijing in 1954, thus starting a new era of its history under a strong support of the Central Government. In 1958, a nationwide splitting of publishing industry began. CP shifted its focus to publish the translated books of foreign philosophies and social sciences, as well as dictionaries in Chinese and foreign languages. Representative translated books include 'Chinese Translation of World Famous Academic Works' and 'Biographies of World Famous People'. Representative dictionaries in Chinese and foreign languages include Ci Yuan, Xinhua Chinese Lexicon, Contemporary Chinese Dictionary and A New English-Chinese Dictionary.

Since the inaugural of the reform and opening-up policy, especially in the past decade, CP has forged ahead with a strong determination and opened up new areas at a steady pace, in addition to its two traditional pillars: Chinese translation of the world's top academic works, and publishing of dictionaries. For example, it provides great support to publish original works of academic research by Chinese authors and spread their research results; it develops readings for quality-oriented education and knowledge popularization targeting at teenagers as well as the general readers; it cooperates with Harvard Business School Publishing Co. to translate and publish HBS best-seller books of economic management; it establishes The Commercial Press World Center for Chinese Teaching and Research, aiming to bring up the development of international Chinese textbooks with academic research and build the Center into an R&D base and a publishing base of top-quality Chinese textbooks in the world. With the sublime ideals of broadening the people's outlook, promoting education, popularizing knowledge, spreading culture and supporting learning, CP does not go after fashions and seek profits only; instead, it provides realistic service for its readers and the general public, thus increasing its publishing scale constantly. In recent years, it has turned out many titles one after another, including the 5th Edition of Contemporary Chinese Dictionary, Gu Xun Hui Zuan (Compilation of Ancient Instructions), 'Xinhua Series' of dictionaries in Chinese, dictionaries in foreign languages such as 'New Age Series', 'Select Series', 'Oxford Series' and 'Longman Series', Wen Jin Ge photo-offset copy of Si Ku Quan Shu (Complete Four Branches of Ancient Classics), 50 titles of The Commercial Press Library, 10 categories and 400 titles of 'Chinese Translation of World Famous Academic Works', and 150 titles of HBS economic management represented by Blue Ocean Strategy. They are popular with millions of readers both in and outside China, and they make up CP's representative brands in the book market. Over 100 top-quality books and periodicals have won National Book Award, National Periodical Award and other important awards at the provincial or ministerial level. For a long time CP has been a leader and a big influence in the publishing industry. Currently it is a member unit of several industrial associations such as China Publishers Association, China Book Distribution Association, China Redactional Society, China Lexicographical Society and China Copyright Society.

Aiming at a long-range goal, CP dedicates itself to a lot of work in human resources development, information construction, opening-up of business areas and international cooperation. It has become a strong competitor in the publishing industry and laid down a solid foundation for sustainable development. Currently it has 275 full staff members, 90 of whom have the Master's degree or the PhD degree and 97 are senior editors ---- a proudly high academic level and professional quality. A large number of young and well-educated people become key leaders in the managerial team and the technical team. CP is among the earliest publishing houses in China which introduce the computer network technology and carry out a comprehensive construction of information technology. It has developed a corpus and a compiling system for dictionaries, a website and a management information system, and it is moving, step by step, toward automation and networking of production, management and marketing. Also, it has been active to open up business areas related to publishing. It has established profit-making companies like Beijing Qunyi Property Management Company, Beijing Shang Yi Hua Information Technology Company and Beijing Han Fen Lou Bookstore Co. Ltd., and is the holding party in all of them. It has taken a realistic step in diversified business operation by setting up franchised stores in Shanghai, Taiyuan, Changchun, Wuhan and Nanjing. CP enjoys a good relationship in international cooperation. It not only has a regular business communication with 4 overseas associates of the Commercial Press respectively in Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, but also establishes and holds a joint-funded publishing institution ---- The Commercial Press International Co. Ltd. In addition, CP has a close partnership with world-famous publishing institutions like Oxford University Press, Longman, Larousse, Harvard Business School Publishing Co., Shogakugan Publishing Co. Japan and Doosan Dong-A Publishing Co. Korea. With a brisk copyright trading business, CP imports and exports more than 200 titles every year.

Now CP has an annual output of about 800 titles, with about 350 new titles and 450 reprinted titles. Meanwhile, it publishes 2 periodicals ---- The World of English and The World of Chinese, 20 academic journals including Chinese Language and Dialect, as well as some audio-visual products. Recent surveys show that dictionaries in Chinese and foreign languages published by CP have been occupying a dominantly leading place in the book market of China. In 2005, its total price of publications was 540 million RMB yuan and its profit was more than 50 million RMB yuan, ranking among the top publishing institutions in China.

The Commercial Press now has developed into a well-renowned publishing institution with its own distinctive style, renewing its unique place in China's history of p publishing, and its commitment to cultural development of China.

Now an affiliate of the newly-established China Publishing Group, the Commercial Press stands ready to embrace opportunities and challenges in the upcoming reform of the cultural system and the publishing system.