CICG publication 'The Elephants' receives national honor

"The Elephants," a novel exploring China's ecological conservation efforts through the story of a migrating elephant herd, has been named a 2024 China's Good Book, a prestigious national honor. The award ceremony was held Wednesday to mark the 30th World Book Day.

The award ceremony of the 2024 China's Good Books is held in Taiyuan, northern China's Shanxi province, April 23, 2025. [Photo/CICG]

Authored by Mao Dun Literature Prize winner Yang Zhijun, the 150,000-word novel has been praised by scholars as an "encyclopedia of tropical rainforest ecology." Yang is a prominent voice in Chinese ecological literature, known for his previous award-winning work "Snow Mountain Earth," which focuses on environmental protection on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

The book was jointly published by New Star Press under China International Communications Group (CICG) and Yunnan Education Publishing House, and it was among hundreds of thousands of titles submitted for the award. This is the sixth time a publication by CICG has received this state-level award, marking a new milestone for Chinese literature in reaching a global audience.

"The Elephants," a novel exploring China's ecological conservation efforts through the story of a migrating elephant herd, is named a 2024 China's Good Book. [Photo/CICG]

Based on the widely publicized journey of a herd of wild Asian elephants in 2021 in southwestern China's Yunnan province, "The Elephants" tells an epic story of migration of a three-generation elephant family. 

Readers line up at the book signing event for "The Elephants." [Photo/CICG]

"The Elephants" also achieved commercial success. The book sold over 30,000 copies within three months of release, sparking widespread discussion on social media.

Yang Zhijun (L2), author of "The Elephants" attends the 2024 International Book Fair of Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela, July 12, 2024. [Photo/CICG]

A multi-language publication plan for "The Elephants" is underway.