The series, published by the Shanghai-based Juvenile & Children's Publishing House in the 1960s, and reprinted many times since then, were the most successful popular science books in China for more than two decades.

The books, in the form of questions and answers, aroused huge interest in science and were cherished by children for many years.

In recent years, with China's economic development and the growth of the publishing business, many popular science books have been published.

However, none of them have been as influential as One-Hundred Thousand Whys.

But this could soon change.

In September, a 10-volume series entitled Decoding the Secrets of Life appeared on the bookshelves.

The books, aimed at copying the success of One-Hundred Thousand Whys, were a hit in Beijing, as well as in other cities immediately after its release.

The books are jointly published by the Beijing Education Publishing House and the Beijing Children and Juvenile Publishing House, both of which are members of the newly-established Beijing Publishing House (Group).

According to Xu Liping, an editor at the Beijing Children and Juvenile Publishing House, the books have sold quite well. So far, 15,000 copies of the first print have almost sold out.

Earlier this month, a symposium on the book series and the current condition of the publication of popular science books was held in Beijing.

At the symposium, some of the country's renowned publishing experts highly praised the series.

Decoding the Secrets of Life consists of 10 volumes, each of which deals with an aspect of life sciences.

They include, The Evolution of Humankind on the origin of human beings; Understanding Ourselves on physiology; and Unveiling the Black Box of the Cerebrum on how the human cranial nerve system functions.

The biggest difference between the series and other popular science publications is that the former was made possible through the joint efforts of renowned scientists and popular science authors.

The books' debut was actually a response to a suggestion by Tan Jiazhen, a famous geneticist and one of the founders of modern genetics in China.

Last April, Tan suggested the public pay more attention to nurturing the scientific spirit in the country's young people.

In particular, Tan suggested giving young people more chances to become familiar with life sciences.

Taking Tan's words seriously, the Ministry of Education and the China Association for Science and Technology soon set out to publish a series of books, which became Decoding the Secrets of Life.

The series boasts strong authors, including 12 members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering and nine well-established scientists.

Tan Jiazhen himself was the general advisor of the book series, while renowned palaeoanthropologist Wu Xinzhi was the editor-in-chief.

After scientists worked out a rough sketch, veteran popular science writers were invited to write the book using simple language.

The series also boasts beautiful color illustrations, which help readers to understand the concepts more easily.

"The books put life sciences against the background of history and society, integrating natural sciences and human studies. This has made them more interesting and worth-reading," said Jin Tao, the deputy chairman of the board of directors of the China Popular Science Writers' Association.

The subjects of the books deal with the latest scientific developments. This is also viewed as one of books' selling points.

"Many publishers have underestimated the readers. Many sciences books are too simple, and deal with out-of-date scientific knowledge," said an editor at the China Children Publishing House. "Today's readers need to know the latest and advanced development of sciences, and publishers should follow the trends.

(China Daily December 20, 2002)