One Hundred Thousand Whys

(Chinese Youth Popular Science Series)

Editor

"One Hundred Thousand Whys" is published by Children's Publishing House A set of popular science books for teenagers edited and published in the early 1960s, written by Han Qide. Over the past 50 years, this set of books has been published in 6 editions, with a cumulative circulation of more than 100 million copies. It has been the scientific enlightenment reading book for generations of teenagers in New China, and has become the number one brand of original popular science books in China. It has played a positive role in spreading knowledge and popularizing science, and has influenced several generations of young people to embark on the path of science. Affected by it, books titled "One Hundred Thousand Whys" emerged one after another, becoming synonymous with children's popular science books.

The sixth edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" was first released on August 13, 2013, and once again entered the reader's field of vision with a new look. Compared with the fifth edition, nearly 90% of the contents of the sixth edition are brand-new "whys". [1]

Book title

One Hundred Thousand Whys

Author

Han Qide (Chief Editor)

ISBN

ISBN 978-7-532-49328-9

Category

Children’s Science

Number of Pages

3544

Pricing

980.00 yuan (sixth edition)

Publishing House

Children's Publishing House

Publication date

October 2013 (sixth edition)

Binding

Hardcover

Form format

Large 16 pages

English

Hundred thousand whys

Contents

1 Introduction to the book

2 Background of publishing the book

3 The 1st-5th editions were published in 1961, 1964, 1970, 1980 and 1999

4 The sixth edition

5 Published in separate volumes of paleontology

Book Introduction

Editor

"One Hundred Thousand Whys" Cultural Revolution Edition

"One Hundred Thousand Whys" The name is borrowed from the popular science book "One Hundred Thousand Whys" by Soviet scientific and literary writer Ilin (real name Ilya Yakovlevich Marshak). Yilin is also taken from a poem by the British writer and 1907 Nobel Prize winner Joseph Rudyard Kipling: "Where are five thousand? What to do with seven thousand? Why with one hundred thousand?" [ 2] "One hundred thousand" is a fictitious reference, used to describe many.

The book brand "One Hundred Thousand Whys" was first created by the Children's Publishing House in Shanghai in 1961. The articles usually use the title "Why?" and each article is several thousand words long. science popularization works. Over the past 50 years since its birth, the brand has influenced countless readers seeking knowledge with its reader-friendly editorial format and strictly selected graphic and text content.

From 1961 to the present, "One Hundred Thousand Whys" has been regarded as a book brand by the industry and has been developed and utilized on a large scale. Books with the same name emerge in endlessly. However, "One Hundred Thousand Whys" published by Shanghai Children's Publishing House relies on its unique With its editorial philosophy and strict quality requirements, it has still become the first choice for readers.

Publication background

Editor

In 1956, after the central government issued the call to "march toward science", as the only two professional children's publishing houses at that time The editors of one of the most popular children's publishing houses in China were very inspired and wanted to publish some good popular science books for children to break the current situation of thin or few popular science books at that time. However, in 1958, they, like the people across the country, experienced an upheaval. The unforgettable "Great Leap Forward" was unsuccessful in all aspects. Editors also stopped from producing books that only focused on speed but not quality, and thought that only focusing on quality was the only right way.

In 1959, they began to prepare a set of natural science "encyclopedia"-style books that answered various questions for high school and junior high school students. After a period of practice in drafting, they gradually established a breakthrough textbook The editing ideas of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" and the classroom teaching framework set the tone for the future editing work of One Hundred Thousand Whys. "One Hundred Thousand Whys" has become one of the most resounding brands among Chinese popular science books.

Since June 1970, the fourteen previously published volumes have been revised again, and volumes fifteen to twenty-three have been added.

In 1995, the central government established rejuvenating the country through science and education as a basic national policy. The editors realized that such an atmosphere across the country provided a good opportunity to comprehensively update the old version of "One Hundred Thousand Whys". They began preparations in 1995 and set their sights directly on the "new century."

As Minister of Education Chen Zhili pointed out in his congratulatory letter to New Century Edition, "People are more aware than ever before that the competition in the future world will be high-tech competition, and the Chinese nation To revitalize, we must rely on science and technology. "At this time, people understand what science means to their future more than ever.

From "March to Science" to "Rejuvenate the Nation through Science and Education", although the background of the times is different, keeping up with the pulse of the development of the times and understanding the changing needs of readers for science education have become the mission of the editors of Children's Publishing House. The unchanging mission of "One Hundred Thousand Whys".

Editions 1-5

Editor

1961

The first edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" was published by Children's Publishing House The success of publishing "One Hundred Thousand Whys" lies in the word "set". When planning the first edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys", we paid attention to the supporting issues. The first edition is divided into five volumes: physics, chemistry, astronomy and meteorology, agriculture, and physiological hygiene, with more than 900 "whys". Later, three volumes of mathematics, geology and geography, and animals were added.

The first edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" (2 photos)

8 volumes were published in December 1962. At this time, the first edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" contained 1,484 questions and 1.05 million words. More than 5.3 million copies of the first edition were printed.

1964

The second edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" was published by Children's Publishing House

The second edition eliminated some of the questions that were not good enough in the first edition. , enrich the content and further improve the quality, divided into 14 volumes, published according to subject categories, namely one volume of mathematics, two volumes of physics, one volume of astronomy, one volume of meteorology, one volume of physical geography, two volumes of animals, two volumes of plants, physiology Two volumes of hygiene. Each volume contains about 150 to 200 "whys" and a total of 2003 questions. [3] Therefore, the content of the second edition is richer and more systematic than the first edition.

The second edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" (2 photos)

1970

The third edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" was published by Shanghai People's Publishing House Published

In 1970, in order to adapt to the situation at that time, the revised "One Hundred Thousand Whys" was published by Shanghai People's Publishing House - during the "Cultural Revolution", Children's Publishing House was merged into Shanghai People's Publishing House. During that "unprecedented" decade of catastrophe, from 1970 to 1978, the Cultural Revolution Edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" was published, with 21 volumes in total, thirty-two folio, with yellow covers from 1 to 14, and yellow covers from 15 to 21. It has a blue cover and contains Chairman Mao's quotations on the inside pages. The last one had no quotations because it was about to enter the reform and opening up period at that time. The original plan to publish twenty-three volumes was also canceled due to subsequent circumstances. Since the Children's Publishing House was split from the Shanghai People's Publishing House, the last two volumes (volumes 18 and 21) were published by the Children's Publishing House. The main contents of each volume are as follows: (1) Mathematics (2) Physics (3) Physics (4) Chemistry (5) Chemistry (6) Astronomy (7) Meteorology (8) Geography (9) Animals (10) Animals (11) Plants (12) Plants (13) Medicine and health (14) Medicine and health (15) Sports (16) Sports (17) Military (18) Military (19) Human history (20) Celestial history (21) Earth history

The third edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" (2 photos)

In the reprint description, the Cultural Revolution edition first criticized the first two editions, saying, "There are many errors, and there is no active promotion of Marxism, Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought are divorced from the reality of the three major revolutionary movements. Many contents promote the omnipotence of knowledge, pursue interest, and spread the poison of feudalism, capitalism, and revisionism." Then he explained the principles of this revision and publication, "This revision and reprinting. , deleted the erroneous content, and at the same time, added about one-third of the new topics, following the great leader Chairman Mao's teachings on "self-reliance, working hard, preparing for war, preparing for famine, and serving the people", reflecting the three major revolutionary movements and labor The actual agricultural production reflects the scientific and technological achievements of our great motherland since the Cultural Revolution, making scientific popular readings serve proletarian politics." This set of books is deeply imprinted with class struggle, and the content on industrial and agricultural production is greatly improved. Increase.

1980

The fourth edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" was published by Children's Publishing House

The ten years of the Cultural Revolution have finally passed. In 1980, "One Hundred Thousand Whys" began its third major revision and launched the fourth edition. This major revision affirms the characteristics of the first edition, denies the "Cultural Revolution" version, and generally maintains the scale and creative features of the second edition. It is still 14 points

"One Hundred Thousand Whys" fourth

The book still maintains an easy-to-understand, lively and engaging style. The fourth edition still has 14 volumes, including Mathematics 1, Physics 2, Chemistry 2, Animals 2, Plants 2, Geoscience 1, Astronomy 1, Meteorology 1, Medicine 2, with a total of 1919 questions. From April 1980 to October 1981. In addition to correcting the chaos of the contents of the third edition that were affected by "class struggle" and "line struggle," this edition also adds many new contents based on the development of science and technology. But generally speaking, the fourth edition is based on the second edition. The cover design and illustrations are very similar to the second edition, and the issue settings clearly bear the shadow of the second edition.

Starting from the fourth edition, "One Hundred Thousand Whys" began to be published and distributed as a complete set at one time. Single volumes were no longer priced separately, so cardboard packaging boxes began to be used. This kind of packaging box has a handle, which is easy to carry and is also convenient for book storage.

The form of the packaging box not only makes it convenient for readers to purchase, carry and store the whole set, but also left a deep impression on many readers. "A carton box is full of knowledge. Just looking at the cover makes me feel like I am a knowledgeable person (points) "There are 14 copies of this edition, a square cardboard box with a handle." "A set" 30; "An ordinary carton box, but it is a treasure box that opens the door to wisdom" 31. Judging from readers' feedback, the use of packaging boxes has achieved good results, and the packaging box format is also continued to be used by many current sets of children's popular science books.

At the beginning of 1990, another "continuation volume" of 10 volumes was edited, which was published in March 1993 and combined with the first 14 volumes. At this point, "One Hundred Thousand Whys" is the third volume. The fourth edition contains 24 volumes, including Mathematics 2, Physics 3, Chemistry 3, Animals 3, Plants 3, Earth Science 2, Astronomy 2, Meteorology 2, Medicine 3, Medicine 4, with a total of 1088 questions. However, compared with the classic content of the fourth edition, although the sequel imitates the fourth edition from topic selection to art, the content is obscure and the interest is obviously reduced. In Medicine 3 and 4. This is especially obvious, for example, the emergence of "gamma globulin", infant and child health care and other content that is far away from the lives of children and adolescents. Some contents overlap with the 1980 edition. For example, in Astronomy 2, the content about Comet Bela, black holes, the mystery of life on Mars, and the four major astronomical discoveries of the 1960s are all discussed in detail in Astronomy (1).

1999

The New Century Edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" was published by Children's Publishing House

With the passage of time and the rapid development of contemporary science and technology , readers are eagerly looking forward to seeing a new version of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" that can introduce new science and new knowledge more comprehensively and timely. At the end of 1994, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued "Several Opinions on Strengthening the Popularization of Science", emphasizing the importance of strengthening the popularization of science among young people. Encouraged by this situation, the Children's Publishing House made a decision in 1995 to edit and publish a brand-new set of "One Hundred Thousand Children" in 3 to 4 years based on extensive debate, extensive listening to opinions, and a large number of investigations and studies. "Why", the new book is called "One Hundred Thousand Whys" (New Century Edition) and is scheduled to be published in 1999... It is divided into 12 volumes, namely mathematics, physics, chemistry, animals and plants. , human body science volume, earth science volume, space science volume, environmental science volume,

"One Hundred Thousand Whys" New Century Edition

Information science volume, engineering science volume and index materials This volume contains 2460 questions. Among them, the mathematics, physics, chemistry, animals, and plants fascicles retain the original subject settings of "One Hundred Thousand Whys"; the human body, earth, and universe fascicles are based on the original medicine, meteorology, geosciences, astronomy and other disciplines, and each adds human body, physiology, Genetics, oceanography, aerospace and other contents are merged; the environment, information, engineering and index data volumes are newly expanded subject volumes. About one-third of the chapters in each volume of this book (except for the four newly expanded volumes) are retained (the text content has been reprocessed), and more than two-thirds are rewritten or newly written. Some of the newly written chapters in some volumes have been revised. More than half. [4]

The biggest feature of this book is that keywords are added under each article, and then a keyword index is formed through the index data, so that readers can check the corresponding content through keywords, which is not yet popular for teenagers. It is the first of its kind and has been widely welcomed by readers. In the index volume, hundreds of exquisite illustrations are also compiled to help readers grasp the full picture of knowledge through popular science illustrations.

The new century edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" also uses autograph sales for marketing promotion for the first time. As the main author of "One Hundred Thousand Whys", Mr. Ye Yonglie held grand book signing events in nine major cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Changsha, Shenyang, Chengdu, Jinan and Xi'an... In Shanghai, "One Hundred Thousand Whys" "Why" New Century Edition book signing, readers lined up for two kilometers! In Shenzhen Book Mall, the queue of readers stretched from the second floor to the sidewalk on the ground floor, forming a long queue on the sidewalk. At the Century Golden Flower Plaza next to the Drum Tower in the center of Xi'an, I signed and sold nearly 500 copies of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" (New Century Edition) in just two hours. [5]

The New Century Edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" is also released in multiple editions. From 1999 to 2013, it has been published in paperback edition, hardcover edition, new century popular edition, and commemorative edition. Collector's editions, etc., to meet the needs of different readers.

Sixth Edition

Editor

The launching ceremony for the sixth edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" hosted by Shanghai Century Publishing Co., Ltd. was held in September 2011 It was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on the 27th. [6]

The sixth edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" published by Shanghai Century Publishing Group Children's Publishing House was first published in Shanghai on August 13, 2013, and was officially introduced to readers at the 10th Shanghai Book Fair Meet. Released with brand-new questions, systems, content, and styles. The book contains 6 million words in 18 volumes, more than 8,000 color pictures, and 4,500 topics representing the forefront of technological development and hot issues of concern to young people.

The "whys" in the book are collected from children across the country through various forms, and we strive to collect all the questions that children are most concerned about and ask the most.

Launching meeting for the sixth edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys"

As a key book publishing planning project of the country's "Twelfth Five-Year Plan", the sixth edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" lasted 5 years Finish. The book has assembled the most authoritative editorial team. Academician Han Qide, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology, personally serves as the chief editor. 21 top scientists such as academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering serve as the chief editors of the chapters. A strong lineup of 115 academicians of the two academies of the editorial board. More than 700 of the best scientists and popular science writers from various disciplines around the world participated in the preparation of the new version of "One Hundred Thousand Whys". In addition, the science popularization team "Science Squirrel Club", which is famous for writing popular science essays, also participated in the creation and writing of One Hundred Thousand Whys (Sixth Edition).

It is understood that the 6th edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" will be based on summarizing the successful experience of the previous 5 editions and soliciting opinions from all parties, taking into account the development of the times and the actual needs of young readers. The book is divided into three major sections and 18 volumes: (1) Basic section: mathematics, physics, chemistry, astronomy, earth, life, with a total of 1072 questions. (2) Thematic sections: animals, plants, paleontology, medicine, architecture and transportation, electronics and information, with a total of 1193 questions. (3) Hot topics: brain and cognition, ocean, energy and environment, weapons and national defense, aerospace and aviation, disaster and protection, with a total of 1173 issues. The book has a total of 3438 questions, which is not the official 4500 questions, but it is also the largest among all six editions.

90% of the questions in the new version are different from the previous version, and even the remaining old questions have new answers by experts. About one-tenth of the questions did not set standard answers. Instead, they listed different opinions from the scientific community, striving to leave an open space for children in the process of introducing scientific knowledge. This is also because there are many scientific questions. The exploration of the problem is still developing and is not exhausted. [7]

After the hardcover version of the sixth edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" was released, it attracted widespread attention from the society. However, the price of a set of 980 yuan also caused some parents to lament that it was "expensive". In March 2014, the sixth edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" with color illustrations and text (paperback) was released, with a complete set of 18 volumes. The content is exactly the same as the previously published hardcover, but the binding style such as the cover has changed. The weight of the book is lighter. Compared with the price of the first batch of hardcover books on the market, which was 980 yuan, the price of the paperback version is 680 yuan.

The sixth edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys"

In addition, the Children's Society will also launch the magazine "One Hundred Thousand Whys" to interact with the book. Facing the new media era, the traditional brand "One Hundred Thousand Whys" has also entered a new development field. Its foundation is paper books, but it will be derived from e-books, games, and animations. Through various terminals, children can experience the charm of science anytime and anywhere, forming a three-dimensional product line with the theme of "One Hundred Thousand". [8]

As of September 2014, in addition to the initial hardcover edition, in order to meet the needs of readers of different ages, different reading interests and different consumption levels, the sixth edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" Three new series have been launched, namely the paperback edition which is lighter in binding and more advantageous in price; the volume series which is tailor-made for readers with different interests and can be sold in volumes; and the selection of the most relevant editions. A classic campus edition series on adolescent learning and life issues.

The paleontology volume is officially published

The paleontology volume in the sixth edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" is an independent volume for the first time. The paleontology volume is written by the director of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Academician Zhou Zhonghe serves as the chief editor, and researcher Wang Xiangdong, deputy director of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and researcher Wang Yuan of the Institute of Paleontology serve as deputy editors. The author from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology was responsible for compiling the basic knowledge of paleontology, paleoinvertebrates, paleobotany and stratigraphy.

Published in separate volumes of paleontology

Editor

Children's Press published the sixth edition of "One Hundred Thousand Whys", published by the Chinese Academy of Sciences Vertebrate Paleontology and Ancient Humans Academician Zhou Zhonghe, director of the Institute, serves as the chief editor, and researcher Wang Xiangdong, deputy director of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and researcher Wang Yuan from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology serve as deputy editors. The paleontology volume of "One Hundred Thousand Whys" is the first time Meet the readers in an independent volume.

The Sixth Edition of One Hundred Thousand Whys

As the editor-in-chief Academician Zhou Zhonghe said in the book review, the paleontology volume "condenses the essence of fossil discoveries by Chinese paleontologists in the past century." The authors from our institute are responsible for compiling the basic knowledge of paleontology, paleoinvertebrates, paleobotany and stratigraphy, etc., concisely introducing relevant knowledge and highlighting the latest scientific research results, so that readers can comprehensively understand the ancient science of paleontology. discipline.

Paleontology has always been a secondary subject of geology. This time it can stand out and be on an equal footing with other major disciplines and become one of the 18 volumes of "One Hundred Thousand Whys". On the one hand, it is on par with paleontology itself. The "mystery" has attracted the attention of the public, especially teenagers. On the other hand, it is also the "instant" achievement of world-renowned scientific research results achieved by Chinese paleontologists. Therefore, the publication of the paleontology volume is also an honor for paleontologists.

Winning Honors

Editor

In 1998, "One Hundred Thousand Whys" won the "Second Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award"[9].

On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the founding of New China, this set of books was selected by thousands of readers and became one of the "50 books that moved the Republic of China[10]".

In 2008, "One Hundred Thousand Whys" [11] (New Century Edition) was awarded the first "China Publishing Government Award" Book Award.

[6]

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