Shanghai book fair spreads the word across the city
The 15th Shanghai Book Fair will take place from Aug 15 to 21 at the Shanghai Exhibition Center, as well as 100 other venues all over the city.
“In the past few years, we have witnessed the rapid increase in the number of lectures, book signings and other reading events taking place at the Shanghai Book Fair,” Xu Jiong, director of the municipal administration of press and publications, told a news conference on July 25. He found that “a lot of people go to the book fair not only for the books on display but also for these reading events”.
The Shanghai Exhibition Center consists of a cluster of historical buildings in the former-Soviet style. “The vintage grandeur of the architecture has provided an ideal environment for the Shanghai Book Fair — the annual festival has become one of the largest celebrations of reading and publications in the country,” he says.
However, the venue space — at around 23,000 square meters — is limited. “Authors will be coming from all over the country, even other parts of the world, and we wish to provide as many opportunities as possible for them to meet with readers in Shanghai,” he says.
The 100 “branch venues” of the book fair will consist of libraries, lecture halls and community centers, as well as 78 brick-and-mortar bookshops all over the city.
Brick-and-mortar bookstores in Shanghai are recovering from a low period, Xu says. Dozens of stores, each with its own distinctive aesthetic and specialty, have blossomed in Shanghai, even in such suburban areas as Zhangjiang and Lingang.
“Most of these stores have special spaces reserved for book signings and reading events,” he says. “It is our mission to make sure authors and resources are allocated to different parts of the city and offer the widest possible access to the reading public.”
More than 30 overseas writers will be in Shanghai to participate in the International Literary Week, a festival that has been a regular part of the book fair since 2011. This year, authors will share their understanding of the Belt and Road Initiative at about 40 lectures, dialogues and other events, under the theme of “Why We Travel”.
Additionally, more than 500 new titles will be launched during the Shanghai Book Fair this year, according to Peng Weiguo, deputy director of the municipal administration of press and publication. Among them are heavyweight academic publications of national impact, as well as new novels from celebrated authors.
This year, for the first time, a Chinese-studies pavilion will be set up at the book fair, Peng says. Classical Chinese books from more than 50 specialized publishing houses will be showcased at the pavilion. And a scholar will give a lecture on Chinese studies there every day during the book fair.