[1][2] Established in October 1949 as the China International Publishing Group, it has developed into a global media corporation.

[11] It is also responsible for the implementation and management of the national translation test and appraisal for the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

[12] Prominent people who have worked in the CICG include Nobel Literature Prize-winning novelist and playwright Gao Xingjian, Nobel Prize-nominated poet Bei Dao, actor and politician Ying Ruocheng (known for his role in the Oscar-winning The Last Emperor), translators Yang Xianyi and Ye Junjian, author Xiao Qian, non-fiction novel writer Xu Chi, cartoonist Ding Cong, former Chinese Foreign Minister Qiao Guanhua, and former UN Undersecretary General (1972–1979) Tang Mingzhao.

Rather, he said, media should focus on emphasizing Chinese culture "to convey the message that China is a friend, not an enemy".

[14] In his account, the author writes of feckless bureaucracy, political correctness, and a general feeling of malaise among the many foreigners working in the compound.