BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Fifteen foreign authors, translators and publishers were recognized Tuesday for introducing Chinese culture to the world.

Twelve received the Special Book Award of China and the other three were awarded the Special Book Award of China for Young Scholars at a ceremony held in Beijing. This was the 12th time the awards have been presented since they were inaugurated in 2005. This year the winners included individuals from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Iran and Morocco.

Their works cover a wide range of literary interests, such as "The Analects" of ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius, the classic novel "Journey to the West," stories written by modern Chinese writers including Nobel laureate in Literature Mo Yan, and the political title "The Governance of China."

A total of 108 people from 44 countries and regions have received the awards in previous ceremonies.