Chinese author Yi Ming met with fans in Beijing on Sunday to celebrate her book <i>As Beautiful As You Are</i>'s nomination as China's representative at the "Best Book Design from all over the World" competition held in Leipzig, Germany, in March 2017.
The book, an introduction to 76 different plants, was chosen to represent China at the Leipzig competition by the Shanghai Press and Publication Administration back in November. The selection jury praised the book for its violet-colored cover.
"I didn't expect my design to be chosen because I designed this book simply out of my interest toward plants," the book's designer Xiong Qiong said at the fan meet.
Xiong's design categorizes all 76 plants according to the traditional Chinese calendar's 24 Solar Terms, which were listed as protected intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO on November 30.
Colorful sketches of each plant are also included as part of each entry.
The book is presented as a diary, with Yi introducing each plant by tying them to her own personal experiences.
"Most books about plants are mainly considered as science books with short summaries for introductions. I wanted to express my emotions and memories of these plants in my book," Yi said at the fan meet.
"Best Book Design from all over the World" is a book design competition that has been held annually in Leipzig since 1963.
