Annual essay collection captures pulse of the times

The launch and promotion event for 50 Annual Essays (2025) was held at the National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature in Beijing on June 3, bringing together judges, contributing authors and literary critics.

The "50 Annual Essays" project, launched jointly in 2022 by the China Written Works Copyright Society and Beijing Times Chinese Press, is a curated annual anthology designed to identify outstanding essays while building a distinctive, authoritative, and sustainable publishing brand for the genre.

Since 2023, the project has produced four volumes. Among them, 50 Annual Essays (2022) saw its copyright exported to overseas countries including Albania while 50 Annual Essays (2023) won the Taofen Book Award last year. The newly released 50 Annual Essays (2025) marks the latest milestone in the project's development.

The new volume is edited by Chen Jiangong, former vice-chairman of the China Writers Association, who serves as chief editor and head of the judging committee. Guided by the principle of "selecting the best from the best", the committee chose 50 essays from nearly 1,000 works published in national-level journals and newspapers in 2025, presenting a snapshot of the year's finest essay writing.

Chen says, "The annual selection is attracting growing attention from both writers and readers. At a time when reading is being actively promoted across society, we are fortunate that the project has received such strong support and recognition."

The collection features essays that capture emotional reflections on life, chronicle the times, and preserve historical memory. For example, Xiao Fuxing uses delicate prose to depict rain experienced at different life stages and seasons, revealing a rich emotional landscape.

Li Jingze takes The Analects (Lunyu, a compilation of the ideas of Confucius) as his starting point, exploring the spiritual world of Chinese scholars over millennia through a dialogue with the classics.

Qiu Huadong writes about the enduring appeal of ideal living spaces, while Lu Chunxiang chronicles efforts to protect the Chinese sturgeon. Together, their works reflect a shared pursuit of harmony between humanity and the natural world.

As a whole, the anthology records ordinary people's search for truth, appreciation of kindness and hopes for a better life. As Chen notes, "Essays may begin as individual sparks of feeling, but together they form the growth rings of an era."