SINGAPORE - A new book written in Chinese charts key milestones in the life of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, as well as the national outpouring of grief in the wake of his passing in March.

A Tribute to Lee Kuan Yew , published by Lianhe Zaobao, the Chinese flagship newspaper of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), was launched on Tuesday.

It contains photographs, articles and media reports about Mr Lee, who died on March 23, aged 91.

The 248-page full-colour book, edited by Lianhe Zaobao copy editor Chee Li Foong, was launched by the late Mr Lee's son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, at the Shangri-La Hotel.

It includes a section on 12 key policies that changed Singapore, like Mr Lee's push for a green city and his firm stand against corruption, as well as a Chinese translation of an interview The Straits Times conducted with PM Lee about his father and political mentor in 2013.

On Tuesday, Mr Anthony Tan, the executive vice-president of SPH's Chinese Media Group, said he hopes the book can help more readers, including younger ones, understand the country's history better.

"Greece's current economic crisis reminds us of how, at the point of our country's independence, Mr Lee decided that we must be self-reliant and not rely on foreign aid like so many of the developing countries did then," he said.

The book's publication is supported by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations (SFCCA).

SFCCA president Chua Thian Poh said at the launch that "the book is not just Lee Kuan Yew's story, but every Singaporean's story."

The book will be distributed free of charge to schools, community centres and libraries, and will be available at major bookstores for $10 from August.

All proceeds will go to the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism.