China Social Sciences Press

What China Social Sciences Press does

China Social Sciences Press (CSSP, 中国社会科学出版社) is a state-owned national academic publishing house directly administered by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). Founded in Beijing in June 1978, the press functions as the primary publishing platform for CASS scholars and China's top social science researchers, producing academic monographs, textbooks, reference works, and party education materials across philosophy, history, law, economics, political science, and the broader social sciences. It has published nearly 30,000 titles since its founding and serves four primary customer segments: academic researchers and scholars, universities and research institutions, central and local party-government organizations, and the general public. The press holds the National Excellent Publisher designation, awarded by the Central Propaganda Department and the State Press and Publications Administration since 1993, and has ranked first nationally among Chinese publishers for 11 consecutive years in the China Book Overseas Library Influence ranking, with 10,147 titles held in overseas library collections per the 2024 report.

The press operates a hybrid print and digital publishing operation. Print books are priced individually from approximately ¥20 to ¥500+ and are distributed through direct institutional sales, retail distribution, an affiliated social science bookstore, and two wholly-owned subsidiaries. Digital products include e-books and three proprietary databases: the China Modern Image Database (中国近代影像资料库), the China Social Sciences Yearbook Database (中国社会科学年鉴数据库), and the China Social Sciences Library (中国社会科学文库). International publishing is a core function, with 353 co-published foreign-language books across 20 languages including English, Arabic, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Thai, and Turkish, distributed in 50+ countries through partnerships with Cambridge University Press, Taylor & Francis Group, and Oxford University Press.

The revenue model combines one-time print book sales, recurring digital/database subscriptions, and licensing royalties from international co-publishing. Go-to-market is sales-led and institutional, with direct sales to universities, research libraries, and government organizations through a dedicated service department, complemented by academic conferences, international book fairs (BIBF, Frankfurt), and the publisher's online storefront. Key commercial proof points include the 7.1 million+ copies sold for the '简史' (Brief History) political education series, 89 titles awarded at the 9th Ministry of Education Humanities and Social Sciences Award (ranked #1 nationally among publishers), and 635 new foreign-language titles published internationally in 2023.

Name

China Social Sciences Press

Legal name

中国社会科学出版社

Website

https://csspw.com.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

China Social Sciences Press is a state-owned academic publisher under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, producing academic monographs, textbooks, and party education materials across the social sciences in print and digital formats, with international co-publishing in 20+ languages across 50+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Periodical Publishers (51312), Other Publishers (51319), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Sciences Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC), Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK), Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ)

Keywords

• Academic publishing
• Social science books
• Digital publishing
• Scholarly databases
• Foreign-language publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Book Sales (Print): Traditional print book sales through direct institutional sales, retail distribution, and bookstore operations. Books are priced individually ranging from ~¥20 to ¥500+. The publisher also operates a social science bookstore and two subsidiaries.
2. Digital Products and Database Subscriptions: E-books, digital publications, and database products including China Modern Image Database, China Social Sciences Yearbook Database, and China Social Sciences Library available for subscription or per-title purchase.
3. International Co-Publishing Royalties: Revenue from co-publishing agreements with international partners; published 353 foreign-language books in 20 languages including English, Arabic, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Thai, and Turkish.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

China Social Sciences Press is a national-level academic publishing house that produces and disseminates scholarly works in philosophy, social sciences, history, law, economics, and political science through print books, e-books, and subscription databases. It also handles international co-publishing of Chinese academic content in 20+ languages across 50+ countries and provides database products such as the China Modern Image Database, China Social Sciences Yearbook Database, and China Social Sciences Library.

Product overview

China Social Sciences Press operates as a comprehensive academic publishing platform with both physical and digital offerings. The core product portfolio includes large-scale publishing series (大型出版系列) featuring monumental works like the 'New General History of China' and 'Commentary on the Twenty-Four Histories'; the Think Tank Series (中社智库系列) publishing policy research; academic yearbooks (学术年鉴); popular reading materials (大众阅读); and international publishing (国际出版). Digital products encompass database platforms including the China Modern Image Database (中国近代影像资料库), China Social Sciences Yearbook Database (中国社会科学年鉴数据库), and China Social Sciences Library (中国社会科学文库), as well as ebook offerings (电子书). The company serves as the primary publishing arm of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, producing approximately 30,000 titles since its founding in 1978.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 中社智库: 智库成果出版品牌，发布高端智库研究成果
• 今注本二十四史
• 中国社会科学年鉴数据库
• 中国近代影像资料库
• 中国社会科学文库

Products and services

• China Modern Image Database (中国近代影像资料库) Database providing access to historical image materials from modern China, offering visual resources for academic research in Chinese history. Available to institutional subscribers such as libraries and research institutions.
• China Social Sciences Yearbook Database (中国社会科学年鉴数据库) Comprehensive database of Chinese social science yearbooks, providing systematic annual records and statistical data across various academic disciplines. Available for institutional subscription and academic research use.
• China Social Sciences Library (中国社会科学文库) Digital library platform containing the publisher's extensive collection of social science publications and academic works in electronic format. Available to academic institutions and libraries for research and reference.
• E-books / Premium E-books (电子书/精品电子书) Electronic book offerings including premium digital publications of academic and general social science works, available for purchase and reading on multiple digital platforms.
• Large-Scale Publishing Series (大型出版系列) Large-scale publishing series including major historical works such as the 'New Comprehensive History of China' (新编中国通史), 'Commentary on the Twenty-Four Histories' (今注本二十四史), and other monumental academic publications.
• Think Tank Publication Series (中社智库系列) Think tank publication series featuring research outputs from China's elite academic institutions and policy research organizations, including 'Belt and Road Initiative' research and 'New Quality Productive Forces' research.
• Popular Reading (大众阅读) Popular reading materials aimed at general audiences, covering accessible social science content and general knowledge publications for individual readers.
• Academic Yearbooks (学术年鉴) Academic yearbooks providing annual reviews and scholarly analyses across multiple disciplines in social sciences, including the 'China Green Economy Development Analysis' (2026 edition).
• International Publishing (国际出版) International publishing operations including translation and co-publishing of academic works in 20+ languages (English, Arabic, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Thai, Turkish) for global distribution across 50+ countries.
• New Comprehensive History of China and Chinese Civilization History Series (《（新编）中国通史纲要》《中华文明史简明读本》) Landmark historical publications from the Chinese History Research Institute, marking significant achievements in the New Comprehensive History of China project under Xi Jinping's cultural thought. The 'New General History of China' is a major comprehensive history project.
• Social Science Bookstore (社科书店) Physical bookstore operation under the press serving as a core operating subsidiary for direct retail and enterprise sales of academic publications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,147 books held in overseas library collections, ranking #1 nationally
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Cambridge University PressflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 June 202635-year partnership milestone celebrated in 2026. Cambridge University Press and China Social Sciences Press have been collaborating on academic publishing since 1991, producing numerous joint publications in social sciences and humanities. This is one of the longest-standing international publishing partnerships for CSSP.
• Taylor & Francis GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026Partnership agreement signed at Beijing Book Fair 2026 for multi-language publication and co-publishing of academic works including '新质生产力'. Taylor & Francis is a major international academic publisher collaborating on dissemination of Chinese academic content internationally.
• Oxford University PresscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026Co-publishing collaboration including the '牛津大学出版史' project and academic exchange symposium held in 2026 on global south publishing internationalization and academic publishing history.
• International Academic Publishers and InstitutionscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnerships with academic publishers and research institutions in over 50 countries and regions, with published works in 20 languages including English, Arabic, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Thai, and Turkish. Total of 353 foreign-language books published.
• Chinese Academy of Social SciencesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent institution and primary sponsor. The press is directly supervised by CASS and serves as the primary publishing platform for CASS scholars and research outputs. This institutional relationship provides unparalleled access to China's top social science researchers.
• Chinese History Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor collaborative publishing partner for major national history projects including the (新编)中国通史 project, 今注本二十四史, and academic publishing grant series. Dozens of universities and research institutions with 300+ scholars contribute to collaborative publishing projects.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Springer Nature: Global academic publisher with deep social science and humanities catalogs. Comparable to CSSP through its overlapping author base of social science researchers and its institutional library distribution model.
• Zhonghua Book Company (中华书局): Premier Chinese publisher specializing in classical texts and historical scholarship, also a National Excellent Publisher. Comparable to CSSP through its academic publishing focus, government affiliation, and major series projects in history and classical studies.
• Oxford University Press: Active co-publishing partner with CSSP on Oxford University Publishing History and other academic exchange projects. Comparable as a global university press with a similar mandate of academic publishing across humanities and social sciences.
• Commercial Press (商务印书馆): China's other flagship academic publisher, founded in 1897 and similarly designated as a National Excellent Publisher. Directly competes with CSSP in Chinese-language academic publishing across humanities, social sciences, and reference works.
• Routledge: Major academic publisher in humanities and social sciences with a strong international distribution network. Comparable to CSSP for its targeted scholarly publishing in social science disciplines and its library-focused sales model.
• Cambridge University Press: Long-standing co-publishing partner of CSSP for 35 years and a leading academic publisher globally. Highly comparable as both organizations publish scholarly monographs, journals, and reference works for academic institutions worldwide.
• Taylor & Francis Group: Signed a co-publishing agreement with CSSP at Beijing Book Fair 2026 for multilingual publication of academic works. Comparable as a major international academic publisher with significant journal and monograph programs in social sciences and humanities.
• China Renmin University Press (中国人民大学出版社): Leading Chinese academic press affiliated with Renmin University, publishing extensively in economics, law, sociology, and political science. Comparable to CSSP in target audience, institutional sales focus, and social science monograph output.
• Peking University Press (北京大学出版社): Major Chinese university press affiliated with Peking University, publishing academic monographs, textbooks, and journals across social sciences and humanities. Comparable as a Chinese university press serving academic institutional customers with English-language co-publication programs.

Broad incumbents

• SDX Joint Publishing (生活·读书·新知三联书店): Respected Chinese publisher with strength in humanities and intellectual history, acquired by China Publishing Group. Comparable to CSSP for its scholarly publishing focus and broad social science catalog, though it has a stronger popular non-fiction profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chinasocialsciencespress

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about China Social Sciences Press