Over the years, Brown has written more than 1,500 letters. They are his "love letters to China".

Brown has published more than 10 books, recording and introducing the sights and sounds of China. President Xi Jinping presented Brown the award of honorary citizenship of Fujian in 2001, when Xi was governor of the province. In January, Brown sent his new book to Xi, with a letter attached.

In his reply to Brown's letter, Xi wrote: "You said in the letter that you are very optimistic about China's future. I believe that you will witness a more prosperous and beautiful China, one that increasingly benefits the world and mankind, and the stories of China you write will surely be more exciting."

In order to deepen cooperation with Brown, the China International Publishing Group signed an agreement with him for a future book series on March 20. At the signing event, Lu Cairong, deputy director of the group, awarded Brown for his "special contribution" and said the group will provide more writers with a multilingual platform to tell their stories about China to the world.