The Chinese and English versions of Mathematical Foundations of Reinforcement Learning, written by Zhao Shiyu of Westlake University. [Photo/Tide News]

A Chinese-authored textbook on artificial intelligence is gaining international recognition, with leading professors in the United Kingdom and the United States introducing it into their courses.

Mathematical Foundations of Reinforcement Learning, written by Zhao Shiyu of Westlake University in Hangzhou, has drawn strong endorsements from academics including Benjamin Moll of the London School of Economics and Ken-ichi Nomura of the University of Southern California.

Professor Zhao teaches a student. [Photo/Tide News]

Scholars praised the book for balancing mathematical rigor with accessibility — an uncommon combination in reinforcement learning literature. Since the release of its Chinese edition in 2025, the book has been reprinted multiple times and received a major publishing award in China.

Beyond print, its impact has expanded online. Zhao's bilingual lecture series, available on platforms such as Bilibili and YouTube, has surpassed 2.7 million views, while open-source materials on GitHub have attracted over 15,000 stars.

Reinforcement learning is widely regarded as one of AI's most complex fields. By restructuring the subject through clear knowledge maps and step-by-step explanations, the textbook has helped learners worldwide approach the discipline more effectively.

As Chinese academic resources increasingly go global, the success of this textbook highlights a growing role for China in shaping AI education and knowledge sharing.

A knowledge map. [Photo/Tide News]