China's prettiest books unveiled in Shanghai

The prettiest books published in China in 2009 were unveiled in Shanghai on Monday. Twenty-one publications from Beijing, Shanghai, and Jiangsu claimed their awards.

"From Bone Inscriptions to E-Publications" is credited with its creative cover design. A big Chinese character "Publication" was carved in relief. The solemn match of black and white also won great accolades.

And in this collection of poems, all the illustrations follow the style of China's traditional woodblock printing, which is rare to be found in modern publications.

This year's "Book Beauty Contest" was launched in September as organizers selected over three-hundred publications from across the country for the final appraisal. Eventually twenty-one claimed the title of "China's Prettiest Books in 2009".

Jiao Yang, director of Shanghai Publication Bureau, said, "The designs of this year's winning publications are unsophisticated. They are helpful for readers to gain insight into the book contents. The consummate design and printing technology signifies the latest development of China's publication industry. "

The winning publications will be sent to Germany next year to vie for the "World's Prettiest Books".