China has decided to launch a long-term program beginning this year to introduce 100 outstanding modern works of Chinese literature to overseas readers, Chen Jiangong, vice-chairman of the Chinese Writers' Association, said in Hangzhou on Sunday.

Speaking from the on-going third Writers' Festival in Zhejiang Province, east China, Chen said the titles will be decided upon by the association, book authors and foreign publishers.

The program will help promote Chinese literature and publishing internationally, Chen said.

In the 1980s and 90s, the Beijing-based Chinese Literature Press published the Panda Book series of Chinese literary works, similar to the UK's Penguin Books, in English, French and German.

Panda Books publishes modern and classical Chinese fiction and poetry by famous Chinese writers including Wang Meng, Chen Jiangong, Jia Pingwa, Liang Xiaosheng, Shu Ting and Chi Li. The books were often given as presents from the Chinese to foreign friends.

This new project will be market-oriented, Chen said, and it is a renewed attempt at boosting literary exchanges between China and other parts of the world.

Chinese literary works have been attracting the attention of more and more foreign publishers in recent years.

In 2004, a total of 26 Chinese writers took part in the Salon du Livre Paris, an annual event dedicated to book trade. These writers are virtually all of China's most famous and important authors, including Yu Hua, Mo Yan and Su Tong. The works of 21 of them have already been translated into French. About 15,000 copies were sold during the six-day event.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2005)