China’s bestseller of 2015 was a coloring book for adults

By Victoria Hosingapore From Mashable

China’s best-selling book of 2015 didn’t have many of words.

Secret Garden, an adult colouring book, was the No. 1 book on China’s biggest online stores — Amazon, Dangdang and JD.com.

The three companies released their lists on Wednesday, and the book from Scotland-based artist Johanna Basford made the top spot on each.

Dangdang told Chinese newspaper Huaxi Metropolis Daily that it sold million copies of the book within three months, and that Dangdang sold 1.5 million copies of Secret Garden in the year.

By August, the book’s publisher said Chinese buyers had already snapped up 3 million copies of Basford’s book — nearly half of the 6.8 million sales it had done globally.

The book has also enjoyed big sales in Brazil with a million copies and around half a million each in the United States, UK and South Korea.

Secret Garden was first published in 2013, but its exponential rise has been credited to increasing interest in adult colouring books.

Chinese netizens say they find colouring therapeutic and relaxing, and a Chinese cultural critic and professor at the Peking University said a rising middle class in China has been turning to the activity to destress.

On Weibo, Chinese fans of the book have been sharing pictures of their colouring processes and are discussing tips and techniques.

Basford is one of the forerunners cashing in on this fad. Enchanted Forest, her sequel to Secret Garden, published in March of last year and crossed 2 million in global sales in 2015. She released a third book called Lost Ocean in October.

IMAGES:
Secret garden A page from “Secret Garden” being created. IMAGE: JOHANNA BASFORD’S
Owl IMAGE: WEIBO
This user tried an alternative method of colouring, using charcoal to make a reverse image: charcoal
This one says it’s challenging colouring in all the leaves

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