China Monday published a Chinese edition of the Secret History of Mongols, an ancient encyclopaedia of the Mongols, in Hohhot, capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

This is the book's first modern Chinese version, said the book's translator Te Guanbuzhabu, who lives in Hohhot.

Translators of this ancient classic, listed as a world famous literary masterpiece by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1989, said they hope their work would offer readers a demotic version of the earliest Mongolian historical literature.

The Secret History of the Mongols is believed to be completed in the 13th century, but nobody can tell who was the author. It recorded the history of the formation, evolution and growth of the Mongolian ethnic group in a time span of about 500 years, including the glorious era of Genghis Khan.

The ancient classic is regarded as a sealed book, which is hard for a common reader to understand, and journalist Asigang, one of the translators.

There were several Chinese versions of the history book before, but none of them were in modern language.

The Chinese edition, with 280,000 characters, contains 800 illustrations, depicting historical stories, culture and customs of this ethnic group. It is also accompanied by annotations to names, places, historic events and special terms in Mongolian culture.

(Xinhua News Agency January 17, 2006)