The Commercial Press Taiwan
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Taiwanese publishing and retail company with roots in the Taiwan branch of the Commercial Press and a long-standing focus on books, reference works, classical texts, and cultural publishing.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Commercial Press Taiwan, also known as Taiwan Commercial Press, is a Taiwanese publishing and retail company headquartered in New Taipei City. Its institutional roots date to the establishment of a Taiwan branch of the Commercial Press in the aftermath of the Second World War, while the present Taiwan company completed registration on October 10, 1950. The business is distinct from the better-known mainland Chinese Commercial Press as a Taiwan-based publishing entity, although it originated from the earlier Commercial Press network. Planning for the Taiwan branch began in September 1947, when the Commercial Press sent Ye Youmei, manager of its Fuzhou branch, to Taiwan. In October of that year, the company acquired and renovated a three-story building at 37, Section 1, Chongqing South Road, Taipei. The branch began operating in early 1948, selling books, stationery, and related goods shipped from the Shanghai headquarters. Its commercial role changed sharply after 1949, when shipments from Shanghai stopped. Zhao Shucheng, then manager of the Taiwan branch, responded by expanding into editorial and printing work. With the branch separated from the mainland operation, it developed into an independent Taiwan publishing business. During its first decade, the company concentrated on textbooks, reprints, and works inherited from or associated with the mainland-era publishing program. A major change came in 1964, when Wang Yunwu became chairman. Wang introduced a broader publishing plan built around large classical-text series, reprints, and the Everyone's Library, which combined new and older works. Classical Chinese texts were particularly important because many were no longer subject to copyright restrictions, allowing the company to produce substantial cultural and reference collections while contributing to the era's emphasis on Chinese cultural heritage. The company became known for ambitious editorial projects as well as commercial titles. Its 1967 publication of Wei Yang Ge, a novel connected with student life at Southwest Associated University, became popular on university campuses and reportedly reached 500,000 copies across 50 printings. In 1986, the company issued the Wenyuange Sikuquanshu, an exceptionally large collection comprising thousands of titles and tens of thousands of volumes in a 1,500-volume hardcover edition. The project strengthened the company's reputation in classical and reference publishing in Taiwan and overseas. The Commercial Press Taiwan also maintained a physical retail and cultural presence. Its Taipei headquarters was rebuilt in 1968 as the four-story Yunwu Building, named for Wang Yunwu. The building later became associated with the company's historical identity. In 2013, the company opened Commercial Press 19th Humanistic Reading Space at a former Wang Yunwu library site in Taipei, alongside the Wang Yunwu Memorial Hall. In 2018, the headquarters and branch operations moved to Minquan Road in Xindian District, New Taipei City. The company has undergone several leadership transitions while retaining a strong connection to the Wang Yunwu publishing tradition. Wang Yunwu chaired the Taiwan company from 1964 until his death in 1979. He was followed by Liu Fake, Wang Yunwu's son Wang Xuezhe, Shi Jiaming, and Wang Yunwu's grandson Wang Chunshen. The company has also experimented with digital and collaborative formats, including the Chongnan Canqi Electronic News, launched in 2011 in cooperation with United Daily News Network. Its recognition has included a 2007 Golden Signature Time-Honored Brand special award for publishing enterprises and a 2017 Taipei International Book Fair gold award for large-booth design.
History
The Commercial Press Taiwan developed from the Taiwan branch of the Commercial Press, which was planned in September 1947. Ye Youmei, manager of the Fuzhou branch, was sent to Taiwan to organize the new operation. In October, the company acquired a three-story brick-and-wood building at 37, Section 1, Chongqing South Road, in Taipei's Chengzhong District. After renovation, the branch opened in early 1948. It initially functioned mainly as a retail outlet, selling books, stationery, and other goods supplied by the Commercial Press headquarters in Shanghai. The branch's supply relationship changed after the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, when shipments from Shanghai ceased. Zhao Shucheng, the Taiwan branch manager, decided that the business needed to develop its own editorial and printing capabilities. The operation consequently moved beyond retailing and reprints toward independent publishing. At the request of the Chiang Kai-shek government, the Taiwan branch separated from the mainland organization and adopted the name The Commercial Press, Taiwan. Its company registration was completed on October 10, 1950. For roughly its first decade, the Taiwan operation emphasized textbooks, reprints, and titles connected with the earlier mainland publishing program. Its most influential transformation began in 1964, when Wang Yunwu became chairman. Wang created a publishing program centered on large collections of ancient books, classical reprints, and the Everyone's Library series. The publication of classical works served both practical and cultural purposes: many older texts could be reproduced without contemporary copyright restrictions, and the projects aligned with the period's interest in preserving and promoting Chinese cultural traditions. The company expanded its literary and educational output during this period. In 1967, it published Wei Yang Ge, a novel about student life at Southwest Associated University. The title became particularly popular among university students in the 1960s and 1970s and reportedly reached 500,000 copies and 50 printings. In 1968, the original headquarters was replaced by a four-story reinforced-concrete building known as Yunwu Building, commemorating Wang Yunwu's role in the company's development. Wang Yunwu's chairmanship lasted until his death in Taipei on August 14, 1979. The period beginning with his appointment in 1964 and continuing through the years before his death is described as a golden age for the company, during which annual output approached 1,000 books. Liu Fake succeeded him as chairman in 1979 and directed the company through a later phase of change. In 1986, the company published the Wenyuange Sikuquanshu, a large-scale classical collection consisting of 3,460 titles, 36,575 volumes, and approximately 2.4 million pages, arranged in 1,500 hardcover volumes. The edition attracted attention in Taiwan and internationally. Leadership subsequently passed through the Wang family and other senior figures. Liu Fake retired in May 2002, when Wang Xuezhe, Wang Yunwu's son, became chairman. Shi Jiaming assumed the chairmanship in 2011, while Wang Chunshen, Wang Yunwu's eldest grandson, became vice chairman. Wang Chunshen became chairman in June 2014. The company continued to combine traditional publishing with new cultural and digital initiatives. In August 2011, it jointly launched Chongnan Canqi Electronic News with United Daily News Network. Around the same period, the company confirmed plans to reconstruct the Yunwu Building, although the demolition and building-license process was not immediate. Removed cast signs identifying Taiwan Commercial Press and Yunwu Building were intended for preservation at the Wang Yunwu Memorial Hall. On March 22, 2013, the company opened Commercial Press 19th Humanistic Reading Space on Xinsheng South Road in Taipei. The venue occupied a former Wang Yunwu library and operated near the memorial hall, extending the brand into curated cultural retail and public reading. In 2017, the company marked its seventieth anniversary and received the gold award in the large-booth category at the Taipei International Book Fair's Best Booth Design Award. On January 15, 2018, the headquarters and branch moved to Minquan Road in Xindian District, New Taipei City. The company remains associated with book publishing, retail, classical Chinese culture, reference works, education, and literary reading.
- 2018
Headquarters moves to Xindian
[1]The headquarters and branch moved to Minquan Road in Xindian District, New Taipei City.
- 2017
Seventieth anniversary and book-fair award
[1]The company marked its seventieth anniversary and won the large-booth gold award at the Taipei International Book Fair.
- 2014
Wang Chunshen becomes chairman
[1]Wang Chunshen assumed the chairmanship in June.
- 2013
Humanistic reading space opens
[1]Commercial Press 19th Humanistic Reading Space opened in Taipei at a former Wang Yunwu library site.
- 2011
Digital periodical launched
[1]The company jointly launched Chongnan Canqi Electronic News and Shi Jiaming became chairman.
- 2007
Time-honored publishing award received
[1]The company received the Golden Signature Time-Honored Brand special award for outstanding publishing enterprises.
- 1986
Wenyuange Sikuquanshu published
[1]The company issued a 1,500-volume hardcover classical collection containing thousands of titles and tens of thousands of volumes.
- 1979
Leadership changes after Wang Yunwu's death
[1]Wang Yunwu died in Taipei, and Liu Fake became chairman later that year.
- 1968
Yunwu Building completed
[1]The Taipei headquarters was rebuilt as a four-story reinforced-concrete building named Yunwu Building.
- 1967
Wei Yang Ge published
[1]The novel became a notable campus bestseller, reportedly reaching 500,000 copies and 50 printings.
Products and positioning
A heritage-oriented Taiwanese publisher and bookseller positioned around Chinese cultural classics, reference publishing, educational materials, literary works, reprints, and humanistic reading spaces.
Classical reference collection · 1986
Wenyuange Sikuquanshu
A large-scale edition of the Sikuquanshu tradition published in 1986. The collection was described as containing 3,460 titles, 36,575 volumes, and approximately 2.4 million pages in 1,500 hardcover volumes. It represents the company's most prominent large-format classical publishing project and helped establish its reach beyond Taiwan.
Book series · 1964
Everyone's Library
A series introduced as part of Wang Yunwu's publishing blueprint after 1964. It combined new and older works and supported the company's effort to make literary, historical, and cultural reading available through a recognizable, continuing collection.
Literary fiction · 1967
Wei Yang Ge
A novel published in 1967 and associated with student life at Southwest Associated University. It became popular on university campuses during the 1960s and 1970s and was reported to have reached 500,000 copies and 50 printings.
Digital periodical · 2011
Chongnan Canqi Electronic News
An electronic newspaper jointly launched by The Commercial Press Taiwan and United Daily News Network in 2011. Its introduction reflected the company's move into digital editorial and periodical publishing.
Book retail and cultural venue · 2013
Commercial Press 19th Humanistic Reading Space
A Taipei reading and cultural space opened in 2013 on the site of a former Wang Yunwu library. The venue connected book retail, reading activities, and institutional memory surrounding the company's long publishing history.
Brand decisions
2018
Headquarters relocationOtherBackground
The company had been associated with its historic Yunwu Building in central Taipei and had discussed reconstruction of that site.
Action taken
The headquarters and branch moved to Minquan Road in Xindian District, New Taipei City.
Aftermath
The move marked a new physical base while historical signs and materials connected with the Yunwu Building were designated for preservation at the Wang Yunwu Memorial Hall.
2011
Launch of a joint electronic newspaperProduct launchBackground
Digital formats were becoming an increasingly important channel for editorial and periodical content.
Action taken
The Commercial Press Taiwan partnered with United Daily News Network to launch Chongnan Canqi Electronic News.
Aftermath
The initiative broadened the company's publishing activity beyond printed books, although the available reference does not provide later performance details.
1986
Publication of Wenyuange SikuquanshuProduct launchBackground
The company had built a strong position in classical and reference publishing through its post-1964 editorial program.
Action taken
It published a 1,500-volume hardcover edition containing thousands of classical titles.
Aftermath
The collection was reported as successful in Taiwan and internationally and became a defining project in the company's history.
1964
Classical and series publishing blueprintStrategyBackground
Wang Yunwu became chairman after the company's early period had focused heavily on textbooks and reprints.
Action taken
He prioritized large ancient-book series, classical reprints, and Everyone's Library.
Aftermath
The strategy produced a major period of growth and cultural influence, with annual output reportedly approaching 1,000 books during the broader Wang Yunwu era.
1949
Shift from branch retailing to independent publishingStrategyBackground
The Taiwan branch lost its regular supply of books from Shanghai after 1949 and faced shortages in both volume and variety.
Action taken
Manager Zhao Shucheng expanded the operation into editorial and printing work, allowing it to function as an independent publishing house.
Aftermath
The change created the foundation for the Taiwan company's continuing publishing identity and led to formal registration in 1950.
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