Apart from translations and the copyright trade, the group also has been experimenting with other cooperative forms on the international market, including cooperative publishing and global content sourcing.

Since 2020, it has been inviting global experts to write books about the history and culture of canals in different parts of the world.

"The aim is to provide a view of the economy, politics, society and population in different countries and make comparisons through the perspective of canals. We have simultaneously published both Chinese and English versions of seven books about canals in China, France, Belgium, Canadian, the US, Britain and the Netherlands," Yuan says.

In addition to this series, the group has also invited writers from different countries to produce children's books under the theme of beautiful childhoods.

Despite all its efforts and exploration, Yuan says a lot still remains to be done when it comes to creating a better team for international markets, especially training people to understand international markets, who have a good command of foreign languages, a knowledge of different cultures and copyright laws, good digital technology skills and cross-cultural communication abilities.

Contact the writer at yangyangs@chinadaily.com.cn