The book launch event is held in Beijing on March 27. Photo: Courtesy of the Foreign Languages Press

 
The book launch event for China's Development in the New Era - The Zhejiang Experience was held in Beijing on Thursday, co-hosted by Foreign Languages Press and the Zhejiang International Communication Center. 

The book was authored by David Ferguson, chief English editor at Foreign Languages Press and a winner of the Chinese Government Friendship Award. Through a personal and storytelling approach, Ferguson introduces the world to China's development trends, using East China's Zhejiang as a key example. "To understand the economic and social development of China, Zhejiang serves as an excellent window," Ferguson wrote in the preface.

In a speech at the book launch event, Yu Tao, vice president of China International Communications Group, said Zhejiang is a vivid practical example of promoting high-quality development and has played a pioneering role in the country's modernization.

"Through the lens of Zhejiang, one can appreciate the governance philosophy of China — a fusion of the people-centered ideology inherited over millennia and modern governance concepts — demonstrating how this philosophy is effectively reflected in institutional innovation," said Yu.

Zhejiang offers a wealth of compelling materials for telling China's story. From Yiwu's small commodity market entrepreneurs to the builders of the Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea Bridge, the book captures multiple perspectives of Zhejiang's story, illustrating the province's model of high-quality development.

As a microcosm of China's reform and opening-up, Zhejiang's innovative practices serve as a dynamic illustration of Chinese modernization. Under the guidance of President Xi Jinping's "Double Eight" Strategy, Zhejiang has transformed from a major economic province into an economic powerhouse. 

The author of the book, Ferguson, said in his speech that Zhejiang is a pioneer in China's development. Since he started writing the book, Hangzhou has seen the emergence of DeepSeek, a revolutionary breakthrough in the field of artificial intelligence. This is a great epitome of Zhejiang as a "forerunner." 

"Based on everything I have witnessed firsthand in Zhejiang, I have great confidence in China's path, theories, system and socialist culture, as well as in Zhejiang's ability to continue innovating and advancing in its development," said Ferguson.