China News Service, Beijing, October 10 (Reporter Ying Ni) In October 2025, Nobel Prize winner in physics, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and famous physicist Yang Zhenning passed away in Beijing. On the anniversary of his death, "Shuguang Collection" (enhanced edition) was officially published by the Commercial Press.
"Shuguang Collection" (enhanced edition) book and photo. Photo courtesy of the publishing house
The title of the book "Dawn" comes from Yang Zhenning's deep understanding of the fate of the nation. He wrote in the book: "The era of Lu Xun, Wang Guowei and Chen Yinke was a long night in the history of the Chinese nation. My classmates at Lianda University and I grew up in this seemingly endless night. Fortunately, the Chinese nation finally ended this long night and saw the light of day."
"Dawn Collection" is an important collection of essays that he personally selected and compiled in his later years. It was compiled by Weng Fan and contains more than 50 articles by Chen Ning Yang from 1961 to 2021, including speeches, interviews, essays, etc. It not only reflects Yang Zhenning's scientific thinking, academic insights and mental journey for more than half a century, but also reflects the history of the development of physics in the 20th century and the grand era background of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The book is also regarded as Mr. Chen Ning Yang's ideological autobiography, revealing a wise man's profound insight and tender attachment to science, life, and the world. Weng Fan said in the preface to the reprint of "Dawn Collection": "Looking at "Dawn Collection" and "Morning Light Collection", I am very glad that my husband left these two books."
At the book's first-ever talk, Li Xin, a publisher and former editor-in-chief of Sanlian Bookstore of Life, Reading, and New Knowledge, shared the publishing process of "Shuguang Collection" from the first edition to the expanded edition based on his interactions with Yang Zhenning in his editing career. He said that Mr. Yang Zhenning's writing has a rare calmness and clarity. Reading his writing is like seeing the person himself. He has the strict logic of a physicist and a broad vision that spans Eastern and Western cultures. Zheng Yong, deputy editor-in-chief of the Commercial Press, reviewed the Commercial Press's publishing history of Mr. Yang Zhenning's collected works, biographies and other works from a publishing perspective. He believed that "Shuguang Collection" (enhanced edition) is not only a personal collection, but also an important document for understanding the history of Chinese science and the spiritual history of intellectuals in the 20th century.
The Commercial Press’s October 2026 Double Ten Best Books release and dialogue scene. Photo courtesy of the publishing house
The Commercial Press’s top ten books in October 2026 were announced on the same day. The top ten books in the academic category are: "Modern Chinese Classification Dictionary (Updated Edition)", "The First Globalization", "Upheaval Changes: The Past, Present and Uncertain Future of Higher Education", "The Philosophical Foundations of the Law of Evidence", "Cambridge Criticism: Inheritance and Transcendence", "Natural Law and Justice" "Political and Economic Analysis of Multilateral Cooperation on Rules of Origin: Taking the EU Cumulative Origin System as an Example" "Commentary on Montesquieu's "The Spirit of Laws"".
The top ten books in the popular category are: "Shuguang Collection (Enhanced Edition)", "The Heroic Five-foot Gun: Oral Records of 30 Female Soldiers (1948-2020)", "One Hundred Questions on Chinese Character Standards", "Utopia" (translated by Zhan Wenjie), "Poison Traces: 11 Deadly Substances and the Century" "Crime", "Exile in Shanghai: The Story of Escape from the Third Reich", "8 Selections from Brecht's Plays", "The History of Eastern and Western Music in Parallel Time and Space", "Exploring Happiness: From Aristotle to Brain Science", "From Understanding Children to Healing Each Other: 15 Psychological Lessons to Break the Gap between Parents and Children".
