Mainland publishers join city’s literary event to boost exchange and reading
Publishing and cultural leaders from the Chinese mainland made their presence felt at the 36th Hong Kong Book Fair, which opened in the special administrative region on Wednesday, saying they hope the event will act as a bridge for stronger international cultural ties.
About 55 mainland publishing units are taking part in the weeklong event at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, displaying 16,000 selected copies.
Yunnan is this year’s featured province. At a ceremony launching Yunnan’s promotional activities, Li Chunsheng, editor-in-chief of People’s Publishing House and head of the mainland delegation, said the fair is an important platform connecting the mainland with both the special administrative region and the international publishing market.
He said he hopes that the event, along with its carefully curated activities, will strengthen cultural exchanges and business cooperation in the publishing sector.
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Peng Bin, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Yunnan Provincial Committee, called Hong Kong an “international cultural window” and a “key stage” for mainland books, copyrights, and creative products going global, saying the fair is a major event for publishing exchanges and reading promotion.
Referring to the Pearl River, which originates in Yunnan, Peng echoed the promotional theme “drinking from the same river, reading thousands of books together”. Peng hoped that “books would serve as a bond and culture as a bridge” for sharing Yunnan’s stories with readers in Hong Kong, Macao, and around the world.
The Yunnan exhibition booth offers Hong Kong readers publications on the province’s history, ethnic cultures, ecology, and original literature, as well as intangible cultural heritage crafts like purple pottery and Yi embroidery.
Among the mainland exhibitors is Jiangsu Guangling Book Co Ltd, a Yangzhou-based publisher specializing in woodblock-printed, thread-bound classical Chinese titles using traditional techniques. The company has participated in the fair almost every year over the past two decades, with its editors frequently traveling to Hong Kong to engage with readers.
Company head Liu Dong displayed a woodblock-printed, thread-bound copy of Three Hundred Tang Poems, a reprint of an edition published in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), with the characters engraved onto wooden blocks before printing.
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Liu told China Daily that Hong Kong has long been an important market for the publisher, as its classical Chinese titles, printed in traditional characters and with a vertical layout, suit reading habits in the city. Moreover, he said, he believes that the city’s book fair helps Chinese culture reach international audiences, including Sinologists, while offering his company a chance to better understand overseas readers and markets through direct feedback to improve publications.
“This kind of information gathering is not easy,” Liu said. “The Hong Kong Book Fair has been very rewarding for us.”
The fair, organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, runs through Tuesday. At around 9 am on the opening day, long lines formed outside the venue, with some visitors bringing carts for easier shopping.
Hong Kong resident Chris Cheung told China Daily that he has visited the fair almost every year, drawn by its abundant new releases, big discounts, and author signing sessions. He said he prefers literature, history books, and comics.
Ella Bao, who traveled from Sichuan province for the event, said she was encouraged to do so by a friend and learned more about the fair from social media.
Bao said the fair is well organized, adding that many major publishers, like the Commercial Press and Joint Publishing, are visible at the entrance, while the book displays are also reader-friendly. She said she had seen a lot of newly published titles, with many covering cutting-edge topics.
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Visitors holding the fair’s ticket — which costs HK$30 ($3.83) for adults and HK$10 for children — can also tour two concurrent expos at the exhibition center: the Hong Kong Sports and Leisure Expo, and the World of Snacks. This year, the three events have brought together more than 770 exhibitors from nearly 30 countries and regions.
Zeng Ziwen contributed to the story.
Contact the writer at amberwu@chinadailyhk.com
