The National Textbook Commission of China has announced the winners of the 2nd National Textbook Award. Two textbooks edited by CUG — Geobiology, led by Prof. XIE Shucheng, and Petrology (3rd Edition), led by Prof. MA Changqian — received Second Prize in the National Excellent Textbook category.
Geobiology
Eight years in the making, Geobiology was written by a team of 48 scholars and published by Higher Education Press in 2023. It is the first Chinese-language textbook dedicated to geobiology. Structured around four pillars — fundamental principles and methods, interactions between life and the environment, co-evolution of life and Earth, and practical applications — the textbook aligns cutting-edge international research with national needs in areas such as climate change, ecology, energy and resources. A print-plus-digital design has helped it reach more than 80 universities across China. The textbook was named among the Top 10 Advances in Chinese Paleontology (Teaching Achievements) in 2023 and among Higher Education Press’s ten best publications of 2024.
Petrology (3rd Edition)
Petrology (3rd Edition) draws on decades of teaching and research by a national-level mineralogy and petrology teaching team. While inheriting China’s distinctive rock-type-based teaching framework, it adopts an Earth-system science perspective, incorporates the latest advances in extraterrestrial rocks and deep-space exploration, and runs through the new concept of co-evolution between rocks and the Earth system. Rich digital resources accompany the book, and coursework integrates ethics and social responsibility education to foster systematic geoscience thinking and innovation. The textbook has been reprinted 12 times with 56,000 copies in circulation, and is used by more than 50 universities and numerous geological institutions.
Established as China’s first dedicated award covering all areas of textbook development, the National Textbook Award is presented every four years and represents the highest honor in the field.
(Edited and translated from the Chinese version)
