Global chapter

The first China Shanghai International Children's Book Fair draws a big crowd of young readers and their parents during its one-day public opening. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/China Daily]

China's children's books are enjoying a boom at home, and now publishers are looking to overseas markets. Zhang Kun reports from Shanghai.

Adults in China are reading fewer books but children are reading more. Publishers for young readers, encouraged by the success at home, are planning to launch more Chinese children's books on the international market. Statistics from the first China Shanghai International Children's Book Fair showed that sales of children's books have been growing at more than 10 percent every year for the past seven years, much higher than other parts of the publishing industry. The book fair took place at Shanghai Mart from Nov 7 to 9 and drew more than 150 publishing houses from all over the world bringing more than 50,000 books.

A trade fair for industry insiders, it opened to the public for one day only, and attracted more than 12,000 children and their parents.

Readers and publishers were so enthusiastic, that the fair promised to double the exhibition space next year, half of which has already been booked. The fair will return to Shanghai next year from Nov 21 to 23.

Xu Jiong, director of Shanghai press and publication bureau, promised to extend the time for public access at the future sessions of the fair. "Our ambition is to build the fair into China's equivalent of Bologna Children's Book Fair, the largest and most successful in the world, in five to 10 years," Xu says.

Each year, 47,000 new books for children are published in China, more than half of them are by Chinese authors. "Our market for children's books is enjoying an unprecedented boom," says Li Xueqian, president of China Board of Books for Young People, also president of the China Children's Press and Publication Group. "There are almost 150,000 books on the market for young readers."

Li says while China's publication for young people is still less developed when compared to many other parts of the world, he believes China's publishers have lots of books that can be enjoyed by an international readership.

"We are bringing in many more children's books from other countries than we are offering them," Li says. "Our children have access to outstanding books from all over the world, and we should contribute by joining the global dialogue."

China's publishers are making greater efforts, participating in international fairs and hiring consultants, promoters and agents for the copyright of Chinese books.

Maria Jesus Gil, president of the Hans Christian Andersen Awards jury, is an advisor to China Children's Press and Publication Group. "She recommends good foreign books to us, and at the same time helps to promote our highquality children's books to the rest of the world," Li says.