About Oxford University Press in China

Oxford University Press (China) Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oxford University Press, which in turn is a department of the University of Oxford. Today, OUP China's headquarters are in Hong Kong, and it employs over 200 members of staff and publishes 4-500 new titles annually.

Historically, however, OUP's first presence in China was established in Shanghai during World War I, and catered both to the book-buying fashions of that cosmopolitan city and to the market for bibles in China. That office was closed in the late 1930s, and it was not until 1961 that the Hong Kong office opened. From that rebirth, the present operation has grown.

In Hong Kong itself, OUP China is a significant publisher of educational books, at all levels, and both in English and in Chinese. Courses for the teaching of the two languages in primary and secondary schools are widely used; and texts in the sciences and humanities also occupy dominant positions.

For regional and international markets, OUP China publishes English-Chinese dictionaries and a broad range of college, academic and general titles about and for China, again both in English and in Chinese.

In Mainland China, OUP China works jointly with educational and scholarly publishers to produce titles appropriate to local markets. These range from English language course materials for schools in Shanghai and Guangzhou, through simplified character versions of English-Chinese dictionaries, to translations of academic works first published elsewhere by OUP in English.

OUP China is also active in Taiwan, which has become a substantial market for English Language textbooks and other materials. Both here and throughout the rest of the territory for which it is responsible, OUP China develops markets for the publications produced by OUP around the world. The range, again, is wide: dictionaries, ELT courses, and the college and academic books and journals published in Oxford and New York.

In all of these areas of activity, OUP China works towards fulfilling the educational, scholarly and cultural objectives of the Press and of the University as a whole. In so doing, it reinforces OUP's reputation for maintaining the highest standards in its publications and business practices.

These objectives are encapsulated in OUP China's Mission Summary

Mission Summary

Oxford University Press (China) Ltd will contribute to educational progress through the publication of educational, reference, academic and general materials, conceived both to satisfy market needs and to embody the highest quality standards. These activities will be backed by services which achieve a very high level of customer satisfaction.

OUP China is committed to pursuing these objectives in a manner which is ethical, socially responsible, prudent and profitable; and thereby to satisfying its diverse responsibilities to all of its stakeholders.