Publishing and cultural leaders from the Chinese mainland made a strong presence at the 36th Hong Kong Book Fair, which opened in the special administrative region on Wednesday, hoping it will act as a bridge for stronger cultural ties between the city and the mainland.
About 55 mainland publishing units are taking part in the week-long event at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, displaying 16,000 selected books. Yunnan is designated as this year’s featured province in the mainland exhibition area.
At the ceremony launching Yunnan’s promotional activities, Li Chunsheng – editor-in-chief of People’s Publishing House and head of the mainland delegation – said the fair is an important platform connecting the mainland and the SAR, while linking up with the international publishing market.
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He hopes the event, along with its carefully-curated activities, would strengthen cultural exchanges, as well as business cooperation among the publishing sectors, on both sides.
Peng Bin – deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Yunnan Committee and chairman of the Yunnan provincial Spiritual Civilization Office – called Hong Kong an “international cultural window” and a “key stage” for mainland books, copyrights and creative products going global, saying the fair is a major event for publishing exchanges and reading promotion.
The Pearl River, he noted, originates in Yunnan, echoing the promotional theme “drinking from the same river, reading thousands of books together”. Peng hoped that “books would serve as a bond and culture as a bridge” for sharing Yunnan’s stories with readers in Hong Kong, Macao and the world.
The Yunnan exhibition area offers Hong Kong readers publications on the southwestern province’s history, ethnic cultures, ecology and original literature, as well as intangible cultural heritage crafts like purple pottery and Yi embroidery.
The fair, organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, ends on July 21.
Contact the writer at amberwu@chinadailyhk.com
