Reading links to the world promotes mutual learning of civilizations Beijing | Culture | Civilization

On June 18th, the 29th Beijing International Book Expo, which lasted for four days, came to an end at the National Convention Center. According to the organizer's statistics, there are 56 participating countries and regions in this year's China International Import and Export Expo, with a total of 2500 exhibitors.

This year's Art Expo is hosted by the National Press and Publication Administration, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Beijing Municipal People's Government, the China Writers Association, and the China Publishing Association. It is hosted by China Book Import and Export Co., Ltd., with Algeria as the guest of honor.

With over 200000 types of books, over 1000 cultural events, and over 200000 visitors, this is a cross-border, cross temporal, and cross cultural platform for publishing exchange and cooperation between China and foreign countries. It deeply interprets that "civilization is colorful through exchange, and civilization is enriched through mutual learning.".

Concentrate on showcasing the "extraordinary decade" of Chinese publishing

This year's Image Expo has created a large-scale international cultural exchange feast for the international publishing industry and readers, integrating functions such as copyright trade, publishing display, cultural exchange, professional discussions, and reading promotion, with offline as the main focus, online support, and offline and online integration.

The Expo showcased theme books such as Renaissance Library, History of Chinese Civilization, essence Collection of Confucian Classics and other books reflecting excellent traditional Chinese culture and outstanding achievements of Chinese civilization, high-quality import and export publications such as the English version of History of Chinese Urban Development, the English version of Three Body, and online publishing boutiques such as Digital Great Wall, which epitomized the "extraordinary decade" published in China.

For major publishing institutions exhibiting in Beijing, promoting key new books, seeking publishing cooperation, and promoting copyright import and export are all important tasks during the book fair.

The Sichuan Publishing Exhibition Area held a press conference for the new book of the Great Dictionary of Dunhuang Literature Language, which was edited by Zhang Yongquan, a senior professor of liberal arts at Zhejiang University. It took many years to complete and included more than 20000 entries. It is a major achievement of the "systematic protection, sorting and publishing project of Dunhuang literature". Li Yuming, president of the Chinese Dictionary Society, believes that such a large reference book with innovative value is of great value for promoting the research of Dunhuang Studies and related disciplines, and is a landmark work in the history of dictionary compilation in China.

Wu Xiaosen, Deputy Director of the Publishing Business Department of Hebei Publishing and Media Group, introduced that in order to create a good cultural atmosphere for the integrated development of the Beijing Tianjin Hebei region, Hebei Publishing and Media Group, together with publishing groups in Beijing and Tianjin, held the Beijing Tianjin Hebei Good Book Co reading Conference during the Expo. On the platform of the Expo, eight outstanding book recommenders from Hebei recommended excellent books from the three regions in a vivid and innovative form, and readers responded warmly.

Building a cooperation platform to facilitate full communication between domestic and foreign publishers, this year's China International Import and Export Expo has held multiple large-scale industry forums, including the Network Publishing Development Forum, Beijing Publishing Summit, Publishing and Technology Innovation Conference, and World Children's Book Forum. For the first time, a "Network Publishing House" has been established to increase exhibitions and displays of new publishing formats such as online literature and online games. Through multiple experiential projects, the exhibition enhances interactivity and participation, promotes industrial integration and global cooperation, and promotes "going global" in multiple dimensions.

Entering the Grand Hall to Read the World

"I particularly enjoy the atmosphere where people come and go, and people come into close contact with books and literature." On the first day of the China International Import and Export Expo, writer Xu Zechen walked into the live broadcast of the "Big Guys Take You to a Book Exhibition" and led online netizens into the National Convention Center. He walked to the booths of major publishing houses and enthusiastically recommended new and good books. "Our venue is very large, and when you go to read, you will find that our world is bigger."

Every year at the China International Import Expo, readers will always encounter a large number of writers and scholars. This year's Art Expo invited Liu Zhenyun, Cao Wenxuan, Ayi, Li Er, and others to have face-to-face exchanges with readers, bringing reading activities, publishing institutions, and bookstores to their side.

When it comes to Algeria, what comes to mind? Africa, Sahara, or Sanmao? The CIIE takes us to understand the largest country in Africa, and Algeria is the guest of honor for this year's CIIE. The slogan for this exhibition is "Algiers Beijing, the Integration of Culture and Civilization". The National Convention Center has a dedicated Algeria exhibition area, showcasing 814 types of books, covering topics such as literature, art, novels, poetry, humanities, and natural sciences. On the evening of June 16th, during the "Algerian Night", writers and translators such as Liu Zhenyun, Lin Fengmin, and Xue Qingguo engaged in a dialogue with several Algerian writers and scholars, telling the story of Algeria to readers and allowing them to experience the beauty of the archipelago in the ocean.

In addition, this year's CIIE has established the "First BIBF Art Book Exhibition", with "photosynthesis" as the theme, setting up five major zones including "Interwoven World", "Beauty in the Opening and Closing Room", and "The Power of Art", showcasing over 2000 high-quality books from art institutions at home and abroad, presenting the development of contemporary art and publishing industry in different fields and contexts. Exhibiting over 30 types of handmade books by renowned artists at home and abroad such as Andy Warhol, Mark Chagall, and Xu Bing, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the artist's spiritual world between the opening and closing of the pages. At the same time, showcasing numerous outstanding publications from both China and abroad that have been awarded the titles of "Most Beautiful Book in Germany" and "Most Beautiful Book in China", inviting readers to experience the artistic beauty of books.

Showcasing the Cultural Responsibility of International Book Exhibitions

It is understood that there are about 900 overseas exhibitors, accounting for 60% of the total number, at this year's China International Import and Export Expo, fully demonstrating the enthusiasm of overseas exhibitors for international cultural exchange and cooperation——

The English version of "The Process of China's Economic Reform" by China Publishing Group is exported to Springer Nature Group; China International Communication Group has signed a cooperation publishing agreement for the Korean version of "Song of the Long March", and has achieved multilingual copyright output for "Chinese Keywords: Civilization Concept"; Guangdong Publishing Group signed the Arabic version of "The Awakening Lion of Civilization - International Celebrities Interpreting the Great Changes of China's Reform and Opening up in 40 Years"; Exporting English, Russian, and Japanese copyrights to the Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Dictionary

According to preliminary statistics, a total of 2000 copyright trade agreements have been reached between China and foreign countries at this year's International Import and Export Expo. Among them, 1387 intentions and agreements were reached for various copyright exports, 502 intentions and agreements were reached for imports, and 111 intentions and agreements were reached for cooperative publishing.

"Returning home with rich achievements." The reporter learned from Zhongnan Publishing and Media Group that the 10 publishing houses participating in the group achieved a total of 269 intentions and contracts for copyright trade at the Expo, involving 18 countries and regions such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Iran, and Vietnam. Among them, 109 intentions and contracts for copyright introduction were reached, and 160 intentions and contracts for copyright export were reached.

On June 15th, the "2023 China Book Overseas Collection Influence Report" was released. Data shows that a total of 13569 books from 449 publishing houses entered the overseas library system for permanent collection in 2023. From the selection of overseas collections by publishing institutions, the Humanities and Social Sciences Comprehensive Society ranked steadily, with the top three being China Social Sciences Press, China Book Company, and Social Sciences Literature Press.

"The overseas collection research project can timely discover the demand of overseas institutions and markets for academic and mass book publishing in China." Yuan Jun, Director of the Academic Committee and former Vice President of Beijing Foreign Studies University, believes that the report will help promote Chinese publishing to become the main force in telling the story of China well and spreading the voice of China.

The book exhibition has laid a solid foundation for cultural exchange and cooperation between China and foreign countries. Algerian Ambassador to China Rabesh said that the Beijing International Book Fair has become a cultural phenomenon that attracts worldwide attention, a lighthouse that showcases China's civilization and history, reflects the diversity of Chinese creativity, and promotes the prosperity of literature, art, and scientific publishing. Books have built a bridge of knowledge exchange between people from all over the world, and also help to showcase the literary and cultural products of many countries to Chinese readers.

"The Beijing International Book Fair has developed into one of the three major book fairs in the world, and we hope to deepen close cooperation with the Chinese publishing industry through this platform and launch more projects to promote global economic and cultural exchanges," said Tang Enping, President of Springer Nature Group's Greater China region.