The English edition of “Leading the Tide: The Story of Lu Guanqiu” was signed in London.
2025-04-16
On March 11, the signing ceremony for the English-language rights to "Leading the Tide: The Story of Lu Guanqiu" was successfully held at the joint booth event area of the London Book Fair in the Olympia Exhibition Centre in London, UK.
Chen Yonggang, Deputy General Manager and Member of the Party Leadership Group of China Publishing Group Ltd., Martin, Chief Operating Officer of Reed Publishing UK, Liu Zuochen, Executive Director (Editor-in-Chief) of China Encyclopedia Publishing House Ltd., and Yuan Haiwang, a U.S.-based sinologist and translator, attended the signing ceremony and delivered speeches. Liu Zuochen and Martin, representing their respective publishing houses, signed an agreement granting the rights to publish the English-language edition of “Leading the Tide: The Story of Lu Guanqiu.”

“Leading the Tide: The Story of Lu Guanqiu,” published in January 2024 by the China Encyclopedia Publishing House, a subsidiary of China Publishing Group, was written by the renowned reportage writer Chen Guanbo and is exclusively licensed for publication by Wanxiang Group. The work chronicles an entrepreneurial saga—from a rural blacksmith’s workshop to a multinational conglomerate spanning multiple industries—and portrays the pioneering spirit of China’s private enterprises—often referred to as “evergreen trees”—in the great cause of reform and opening-up. It also vividly depicts the legacy and succession trajectory of two generations of leaders at Wanxiang. Reed Publishing Company, based in the UK, is an internationally renowned publisher specializing in business and management books. With extensive experience and deep industry expertise in commercial publishing, Reed will publish an English-language edition of “Leading the Tide: The Story of Lu Guanqiu” under license from the Encyclopedia Publishing House, providing global readers with a valuable resource for understanding the modernization process of Chinese enterprises.
At the signing ceremony, Chen Yonggang stated that "Leading the Tide: The Story of Lu Guanquan" is an outstanding work of biographical literature. Immediately after its publication and distribution, it was featured on the first-ever “Good Books List” of the China Publishing Group for 2024. From its Chinese edition to its English translation, this book is now reaching out from East to the world. What it carries is no longer just the story and inspiration of one individual or one enterprise; rather, it embodies the resonance and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations in innovation, creativity, and the pursuit of values—a global echo of business wisdom.
Martin expressed his admiration and appreciation for the courageous, innovative, and dedicated Chinese entrepreneurial spirit showcased in the book “Leading the Way: The Story of Lu Guanqiu,” as well as his confidence and anticipation for this China-UK publishing and cultural exchange collaboration.
Yuan Haiwang stated that translating this book is not merely a linguistic conversion—it’s also an opportunity to tell the world about Lu Guanqiu’s spirit and to share China’s business experience from the reform and opening-up era. He expressed hope that through this work, international readers will gain a deeper understanding of Chinese entrepreneurs’ spirit of exploration, hard work, and sense of responsibility, and better appreciate the unique path of China’s economic development.
Liu Zuochen stated that Mr. Lu Guanqiu’s entrepreneurial spirit—starting from scratch—and his strategic vision, which is rooted in the local market yet globally oriented, resonate deeply with today’s global pursuit of innovation, responsibility, and sustainable development. We are profoundly impressed by Reed Publishing’s professional expertise and industry insights, and we also greatly admire Professor Yuan Haiwang, the translator, whose profound background in cross-cultural translation and interpretation ensures that, through everyone’s concerted efforts, we will present to English-speaking readers a model biography of a Chinese entrepreneur that combines human warmth with strategic foresight.