The Magic Lives On: 25th Anniversary Edition of Harry Potter Was Launched

On December 7， 2024， the People’s Literature Publishing House hosted the grand launch event for the Harry Potter (25th Anniversary Edition) at the Beijing Dahua City Performing Arts Center. With the theme “The Magic Lives On，” the event featured three parts: a guest panel discussion， fan sharing， and interactive activities. Zang Yongqing， member of the Party Leadership Group of China Publishing Group Corporation and vice general manager of China Publishing amp; Media Holdings Co.， Ltd.， delivered the opening remarks. Other notable attendees included Wu Liangzhu， editor-in-chief and deputy secretary of the Party Committee of People’s Literature Publishing House; Wang Qiuling， general manager of the publishing house; Li Yan， deputy minister of Publicity for Dongcheng District， Beijing; and Li Jia， deputy minister of Publicity for Dongcheng District. The event also featured Wang Ruiqin， the original editor responsible for introducing the Harry Potter series to China; translator Ma Ainong; and studio head Zhai Can， who shared their inspirations and reflections on the publication and readership journey. Zhang Zhihao， a devoted Harry Potter fan and a popular content creator on Bilibili， hosted the event. The live broadcast of the launch was streamed across platforms such as Guangming Online， CCTV Video， Yangyang Reading， Sohu News， Sina Weibo， and the People’s Literature Publishing House’s social media channels， attracting over 5 million viewers.

The Journey with Harry Potter

As the publisher responsible for introducing and releasing the Harry Potter series in China， People’s Literature Publishing House has witnessed generations of fans stepping into the magical world. The first readers of the series have grown up， cherishing not only the enduring love and courage inspired by the books， but also the light green memory filled with warm ink fragrance. The new edition captures this nostalgia with light green， flexible offset paper that replicates the original design while upgrading its quality in terms of weight， smoothness， and color fidelity.

Zang Yongqing stated in his speech that this set of books has achieved two “unprecedented consensuses，” namely the “unprecedented consensus” of global readers’ aesthetics and the “unprecedented consensus” of Chinese children and parents’ aesthetics. This is because of its positive energy and universal themes of growth and perseverance in line with everyone’s inner pursuit. To cater to diverse readership needs， People’s Literature Publishing House has developed over 130 versions of the books， including hardcover， paperback， bilingual， fully illustrated， and multi-volume editions (such as a 20-volume set)， creating a rich “Harry Potter family” collection. Readers can look forward to more exciting releases soon.

Light Green Memories

In September 2000， the simplified Chinese editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone， Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets， and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban were introduced to Chinese readers. The light green pages became a gateway to the magical world， igniting a passion for reading and breaking sales records in children’s literature. More importantly， the Harry Potter culture， brimming with themes of growth and empowerment， has accompanied and illuminated the lives of generations of fans.

The Harry Potter series consists of seven books. In the first three， Harry navigates life as an ordinary child， attending school， making friends， taking classes， and enjoying summer vacations， making the early works quintessential children’s literature. By the fourth book， a new dimension of growth emerges: Facing fear at the Quidditch World Cup， experiencing romantic feelings at the Yule Ball， and witnessing Voldemort’s return， all set the stage for Harry’s journey from childhood to maturity. In the final three books， Harry undergoes a profound transformation from witnessing， conducting to fulfilling his mission， while grappling with the complexities of human nature through the choices of figures like Snape and Dumbledore. Standing on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters， he embraces the cyclical nature of magic， solidifying the series’ evolution from children’s literature to a timeless literary classic.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Harry Potter in China， People’s Literature Publishing House has released a newly remastered edition， recreating the beloved original covers. This special edition invites fans to relive magical memories and embark on the enchanting journey once more.