Circular Regarding the Printing and Promulgation of the "Measures on the Recording of Important Topics of Books, Periodicals, Audio/Visual Productions and Electronic Publications" (CECC Partial Translation)
Article 3: In these Measures "important topics" refers to any selections whose contents relate to such matters as national security and social stability or which shall produce a relatively large influence on such things as the nation's government, economy, culture or military matters, and shall specifically include: (i) topics concerning documents or literature of the party or the nation; (ii) works and literature concerning any former or current leaders of the party or the nation, and selections concerning the circumstances of their lives or work; (iii) topics which deal with party or state secrets; (iv) topics which compile introductions of the structure of government entities or the circumstances of party or state leaders; (v) topics which deal with ethnic or religious issues; (vi) topics which deal with the building of national defense and the battles, combat, work or lives of important figures of China's military in any historical period; (vii) topics which deal with the "Cultural Revolution"; (viii) topics which deal with any significant historical matters or important historical figures in the history of the Chinese Communist Party; (ix) topics which deal with top level figures in the Republican Party and any other top level objectives of the united front; (x) topics which deal with the Soviet Union, eastern Europe and all other party brothers and nationally significant matters and primary leaders; (xi) topics which deal with maps of China's borders; (xii) topics which deal with books on the Hong Kong Special Administration Zone, Macao and the Taiwan region; (xiii) topics of large scale translations of ancient texts into modern Chinese (equal to or greater than 5,000,000 characters) (xiv) topics of imported animated reading material; and (xv) selections whose contents are any type of directory of entity names or communication addresses. The scope of the important topics listed above shall be adjusted and promulgated by the General Administration of Press and Publication in accordance with circumstances. Article 5: Within 30 days of deciding to accept recordation, GAPP shall provide an answer or opinion to the applicant, and if no answer or opinion is provided within this time, the recordation shall be automatically effective. Article 7 : The primarily responsible person at any publishing unit that violates these Measures and publishes publications with contents within the scope of important topics without recording shall be subject to administrative punishment by the provincial Office of Press and Publication or the Office of Press and Publication that is the superior responsible agency. Publication and distribution of the publication shall cease, and the publishing unit shall be ordered to undertake recording procedures in accordance with these Measures. Violations of the "Regulations on the Administration of Publishing" shall be punished in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The following is a partial translation by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China of the "Notice Regarding the Printing and Promulgation of the "Measures on the Recording of Important Topics of Books, Periodicals, Audio/Visual Productions and Electronic Publications," issued by the General Administration for Press and Publications on October 10, 1997. The Chinese text was retrieved from the Qingdao Press and Publishing Bureau's Web site on February 21, 2006.
Article 3: In these Measures "important topics" refers to any selections whose contents relate to such matters as national security and social stability or which shall produce a relatively large influence on such things as the nation's government, economy, culture or military matters, and shall specifically include:
(i) topics concerning documents or literature of the party or the nation;
(ii) works and literature concerning any former or current leaders of the party or the nation, and selections concerning the circumstances of their lives or work;
(iii) topics which deal with party or state secrets;
(iv) topics which compile introductions of the structure of government entities or the circumstances of party or state leaders;
(v) topics which deal with ethnic or religious issues;
(vi) topics which deal with the building of national defense and the battles, combat, work or lives of important figures of China's military in any historical period;
(vii) topics which deal with the "Cultural Revolution";
(viii) topics which deal with any significant historical matters or important historical figures in the history of the Chinese Communist Party;
(ix) topics which deal with top level figures in the Republican Party and any other top level objectives of the united front;
(x) topics which deal with the Soviet Union, eastern Europe and all other party brothers and nationally significant matters and primary leaders;
(xi) topics which deal with maps of China's borders;
(xii) topics which deal with books on the Hong Kong Special Administration Zone, Macao and the Taiwan region;
(xiii) topics of large scale translations of ancient texts into modern Chinese (equal to or greater than 5,000,000 characters)
(xiv) topics of imported animated reading material; and
(xv) selections whose contents are any type of directory of entity names or communication addresses.
The scope of the important topics listed above shall be adjusted and promulgated by the General Administration of Press and Publication in accordance with circumstances.
Article 5: Within 30 days of deciding to accept recordation, GAPP shall provide an answer or opinion to the applicant, and if no answer or opinion is provided within this time, the recordation shall be automatically effective.
Article 7: The primarily responsible person at any publishing unit that violates these Measures and publishes publications with contents within the scope of important topics without recording shall be subject to administrative punishment by the provincial Office of Press and Publication or the Office of Press and Publication that is the superior responsible agency. Publication and distribution of the publication shall cease, and the publishing unit shall be ordered to undertake recording procedures in accordance with these Measures. Violations of the "Regulations on the Administration of Publishing" shall be punished in accordance with the relevant regulations.
关于印发《图书、期刊、音像制品、电子出版物重大选题备案办法》的通知
新出图（1997）860号
颁布日期：19971010 实施日期：19971010 颁布单位：新闻出版署
各省、自治区、直辖市新闻出版局、音像行政管理部门，中央在京图书、音像、期刊出版单位主管部门，解放军总政宣传部，全国各出版社、音像出版社、电子出版物出版单位：
为了进一步落实《出版管理条例》，加强图书、期刊、音像制品、电子出版物重大选题的管理，现将《图书、期刊、音像制品、电子出版物重大选题备案办法》印发给你们，请各有关单位认真贯彻执行。
图书、期刊、音像制品、电子出版物重大选题备案办法
第一条 根据《出版管理条例》第十九条的规定，为了实施图书、音像制品、电子出版物重大选题备 案制度，制定本办法。
第二条 凡列入备案范围内的重大选题，图书、音像制品、电子出版物出版单位在出版之前，必须依照本办法报新闻出版署备案。未经备 案的，不得出版发行。
第三条 本办法所称重大选题，是指涉及国家安全、社会安定等方面的内容，对国家的政治、经济、文化、军事等会产生较大影响的选 题，具体包括：
（一）有关党和国家的重要文件、文献选题；
（二）有关党和国家曾任和现任主要领导人的著作、文章以及有关其生活和工作情况的选题；
（三）涉及党和国家秘密的选题；
（四）集中介绍政府机构设置和党政领导干部情况的选题；
（五）涉及民族问题和宗教问题的选题；
（六）涉及我国国防建设及我军各个历史时期的战役、战斗、工作、生活和重要人物的选题；
（七）涉及“文化大革命”的选题；
（八）涉及中共党史上的重大历史事件和重要历史人物的选题；
（九）涉及国民党上层人物和其他上层统战对象的选题；
（十）涉及前苏联、东欧以及其他兄弟党和国家重大事件和主要领导人的选题；
（十一）涉及中国国界的各类地图选题；
（十二）涉及香港特别行政区和澳门、台湾地区图书的选题；
（十三）大型古籍白话今译的选题（指５００万字以及５００万字以上的项目）；
（十四）引进版动画读物的选题；
（十五）以单位名称、通讯地址等为内容的各类“名录”的选题；
前款所列重大选题的范围，新闻出版署将根据情况适时予以调整并另行公布。
第四条 出版单位向新闻出版署申报重大选题备案时，应当填写备案登记表并提交下列材料：
（一）备案申请报告；
（二）选题、书稿、文章、图片或者样片、样带；
（三）出版单位的上级主管部门或所在地党委宣传部门的审核意见。
前款备案材料不齐备时，不予受理。
本条所称出版单位的上级主管部门，是指：（一）中央各部门的出版社，其主管部门是中共中央和国务院各部委、各民主党派和人民团体；（二）解放军系统的 出版单位，其主管部门是解放军总政治部宣传部；（三）属地方的出版单位，其主管部门是所在地省级新闻出版局或音像出版行政管理部门。
第五条 新闻出版 署自决定受理备案之日起３０日内，对备案申请予以答复或者提出意见，逾期未予答复或者提出意见的，备案即自动生效。
第六条 新闻出版署对备案的重大选 题进行审核，必要时可以转请有关部门协助审核。
第七条 出版单位违反本办法，未经备案出版属于重大选题范围内的出版物的，由省级新闻出版局或新闻出版 署责成其上级主管部门对出版单位的主要负责人员给予行政处分；停止出版、发行该出版物，并责令该出版单位按照本办法的规定办理申报备案手续；违反《出版管 理条例》的，依照有关规定处罚。
第八条 根据《出版管理条例》的精神和期刊出版中存在的问题，本办法适用于期刊中涉及的重大选题。
第九条 本办法 自发布之日起施行。