Children's literature is a collaborative undertaking that needs the work of many.

Besides authors picking up their pens to write, editors who painstakingly encourage and critique writers' words, publishers who put up cash on speculation that a book will sell, there are others who do yeoman's work behind the scenes to promote good literature.

This year, the Soong Ching Ling Children's Literature Award Committee established a Special Contribution Award to acknowledge the work of those who labored mightily backstage.

Four special people have made outstanding lifetime contributions to Children's literature. They include:

Ren Rongrong, 80, is an eminent translator of children's literature in China. Over the course of more than half a century, Ren has translated some of the most important children's classics in Russian, English, Italian and Japanese.

Jiang Feng, 78, and Pu Manting, 75, are respectively professors emeritus of the Children's Literature Department at Zhejiang Normal University, and its counterpart Beijing Normal University.

The two institutions are pivotal educational bases for cultivating professional writers, researchers, and editors for children's literature in China.

Su Peide, 72, is honored with the award because of his energetic social efforts in promoting writers' careers. As a senior executive in the Writers' Association of China, Su has undertaken practical efforts to encourage writing for children, handled promotional efforts in the field, and cultivated many young writers. He is also an active critic.

(China Daily October 28, 2003)