Danish book on pursuit of happiness now out in Chinese

The Chinese edition of The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living was printed in May. The lifestyle concept of hygge is gaining popularity among Chinese readers.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Japanese self-help writer Yamashita Hideko's books on danshari were popular in China in the past. The concept encourages people to get rid of junk, both physical and mental.

"But after clearing up your house and your heart, you have to fill your soul with something, otherwise you will feel empty inside," says Li Jingyuan, deputy editor-in-chief of Citic Publishing Group. "So that's why we have published the Chinese version of The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living."

The Chinese version was printed in May.

"Many Chinese live busy lives, with a lot of daily pressure. They don't feel happy," Li says.

Maybe by reading this book to learn about why Demark has topped the list of the happiest countries in the world, as announced by the United Nations for four consecutive years, Chinese people can also get the secret of hygge, Li said at the book launch ceremony at the Danish embassy in Beijing on Tuesday.

In recent years, with the popularity of books about Danish hygge, such as The Book of Hygge and The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country, hygge has become a trendy lifestyle philosophy to pursue happiness, just like danshari several years ago.

"The reason why there is so much global interest in hygee, Denmark and happiness these years is because of the global feeling that a lot of countries have got richer without their people getting happy. So, people are looking for inspiration from successful cases. More and more people are looking into Denmark for inspiration for quality life," says Meik Wiking, the author of The Little Book of Hygge, via video from Copenhagen at the book launch.

Although dictionary publisher Collins listed the word hygge among its top 10 words of last year, and the Oxford English Dictionary has included it as an entry, there is still not an English or Chinese counterpart that can express the meaning accurately.