Hong Kong Book Fair spotlights Beijing's literary treasures

People watch a Peking Opera performance by Zheng Xiao during the launch ceremony for Beijing theme city promotion activities at the 34th Hong Kong Book Fair at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on July 17, 2024.

This year's Hong Kong Book Fair, which has made Beijing the theme city for the first time, is showcasing nearly 10,000 high-quality books from the Chinese mainland through cultural communication activities, offering an opportunity for readers to explore the country's rich literature, culture and history.

With the theme "Film and Television Literature", the 34th Hong Kong Book Fair opened on Wednesday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and will close on Tuesday. It will feature over 600 seminars and cultural activities, and has attracted 760 exhibitors.

With Beijing as the theme city, this year's mainland pavilion has set out a dedicated area exhibiting the capital's publishing achievements and development accomplishments in recent years.

The Beijing exhibition area spans about 150 square meters. In addition to showcasing nearly 3,000 books published by Beijing agencies, it features more than 100 cultural and creative products that highlight both Beijing and traditional Chinese culture. Visitors also have the opportunity to appreciate ancient book restoration techniques, which have been listed as national intangible cultural heritage.

Twelve cultural organizations from Beijing, including Beijing Publishing Group, are attending the fair, and distinguished cultural scholars and writers from Beijing and Hong Kong have been invited to engage with readers.

"It feels like revisiting an old friend," said Wang Heling, a representative from Beijing Publishing Group. She said that unlike previous years, when each publisher was responsible for its own books, this time there was a remarkable sense of unity among Beijing publishers.

Wang said her team had started to prepare for the event in April, adding that the exhibited books underwent several rounds of screening to ensure they can reflect the characteristics of Beijing. She expressed the hope that the event will help to deepen cultural exchanges between Beijing and Hong Kong.

Lu Peizhao, editor-in-chief at Guangxi Publishing Media Group, said his team had participated in several Hong Kong Book Fairs.

He said his team had prepared about 700 books and cultural and creative products for this year's fair, including many books with traditional culture themes.

"We can feel the passion from Hong Kong residents," Lu said. "Compared to book fairs on the mainland, I think the Hong Kong Book Fair garners a higher level of social attention and public participation."

Zheng Xiao, from Beijing's Jingju Theater Company, attended the fair for the first time and was invited to give a short performance.

She said it allowed her to feel the enthusiasm from Hong Kong residents, and said she wanted to deepen Hong Kong residents' understanding of traditional Chinese culture, particularly the younger generation.

The mainland exhibition area has set up a thematic exhibition of books, with a focus on the display and sale of works by President Xi Jinping and related study materials, such as the first two volumes of Selected Readings from the Works of Xi Jinping, and the four volumes of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China.

It also features books that introduce the practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics, as well as ancient classics and cultural series that encapsulate the fundamental values of traditional Chinese culture.

In line with its film and TV literature theme, related literary works from the mainland are also on sale, including White Deer Plain, Blossoms Shanghai and To the Wonder.

More than 30 original animation books from the mainland, such as Hello and Forbidden City, are also appearing for the first time at the thematic exhibition.

Readers showed great interest in mainland books. Louis Tsang, a 76-year-old attendee, said he decided to set aside at least half a day to explore the mainland exhibition area this year, as he believed that the books were rich in traditional Chinese culture.

Tsang said he appreciated the displays at the mainland pavilion, including the intangible cultural heritage experience, but said the provision of more explanations would enhance the experience, as it would allow visitors to gain a deeper understanding of the connotations behind the exhibits.

Accountant Irene Tse said she has attended the book fair for 27 years. She often takes a day off on the first day of the fair to see the exhibition, as it's usually less crowded.

Tse said she had been eager to explore the Beijing exhibition area and expressed keen interest in mainland books, especially those about culture and history. She said texts written in vernacular and literary Chinese are more expressive than those in Cantonese.

Tse said she had also noticed that the books showcased in the mainland pavilion are of higher quality than before.