The Commercial Press, China's first modern publishing house, marked its 110th anniversary on Wednesday.

"Since its establishment, the press has greatly contributed to the enhancement of Chinese people's knowledge, academic prosperity, social progress and the spread of culture and education," senior Party leader Li Changchun said in a letter to a ceremony held in the Great Hall of the People.

Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said he hoped the press would publish more "excellent books", "spread the elite and advanced culture of socialism", seize the opportunity to develop as a business and become an influential worldwide brand.

Founded in 1897, the state-owned Commercial Press has published about 50,000 publications, mainly in the academic circle such as dictionaries and academic masterpieces, with hundreds of millions of readers home and abroad.

The Xinhua Dictionary, or New China Dictionary, one of the representative books produced by the press, is the language bible of most Chinese and foreign learners of the Chinese language. It is not related to the Xinhua News Agency.

Liu Yunshan, head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, joined the 700-odd experts, officials and press heads home and abroad, including representatives from the Commercial Press Hong Kong and Taiwan branches, in the commemoration.