Publishing industry in China

Publishing and printing in mainland China have a long history. The first printed book sold commercially was sold in the markets of the Tang dynasty in 762, while printed paper receipts used for business transactions and tax payments can be dated to 782.^[1] The publishing industry in the People's Republic of China continues to grow in modern times. In 2004, China published 25.77 billion copies of national-level and provincial-level newspapers, 2.69 billion magazines, and 6.44 billion books.^{[2][needs update]}