Book fair a pleasant page-turner

Judging by the huge participation of publishing houses and companies and the increasing interest of celebrities and readers in the national book fair, printed books remain popular despite the onslaught of electronic devices.

The 24th Chinese National Book Trade Fair opened on Aug 1 in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province.

More than 800 publishing houses and companies from all over China are present and 2,395 booths open to the public, which is 10 percent more than in 2013, said the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, which co-organized the event with the Guizhou government.

The fair will be open until Aug 4 at its main venue, the Guiyang International Conference and Exhibition Center, as well as at the Confucius Academy and two other auxiliary venues in Zunyi and Anshun.

He Guangyu, director of the marketing and sales department at Commercial Press, one of China's most influential and oldest publishing houses, said companies remain enthusiastic about the book fair because it is an important platform to meet people in the industry and the reading public.

Commercial Press has participated in every book fair since its debut in 1980.

"We always bring our books of the year and best-sellers in history to exhibit at the book fair to attract attention and increase our publishing house's influence in the industry," He said.

"It's a great chance to build our press' brand and image among readers."

This year, Commercial Press brought 400 titles displayed on four shelves.

It also launched a book project with literary editors-in-chief to share their thoughts on the relationship between literature, culture and nature.

Famous writers and other cultural celebrities, including the well-known writer of children's books Cao Wenxuan and economist Wu Jinglian will speak at the fair.

Seminars are scheduled to discuss China's publication industry, including e-publication.

Zhu Ming, a resident in Guiyang, brought her 6-year-old girl to the crowded fair to expose her to the world of books. "Reading books is a habit that I want her to develop," Zhu said.

Zhao Kezhi, secretary of the CPC Guizhou Provincial Committee, said the book fair is a great cultural event for the province, and he urged people from all walks of life to attend the fair and make the most of it.