A book feast for the eyes

National expo is back bigger and better, promising more titles and new publishing technology, Mei Jia reports.

With its Confucian legacy, symbolic significance of the majestic Taishan Mountain and the Yellow River culture, Shandong province will be the host of an annual national book event in July.

The 30th National Book Expo will be held from July 15-19 with the province's capital city Jinan as the main site. It will also be held in two other cities, Yantai and Tai'an. Its organizers say the expo will be an opportunity to exhibit more new book titles, the latest publishing products and technology, and to also showcase the charm of the province's cultural elements.

Moreover, Yu Jie, director of the Shandong provincial publicity department, says the centenary of the Communist Party of China's founding will be a special focus of the expo.

Like previous book expos, the Shandong expo will fuel the anticipation of readers with a number of publishing forums, book launches, writer meet-and-greets, and free reading vouchers.

At the main site in Jinan International Convention and Exhibition Center, the expo will span eight exhibition halls covering 10 themes. A total of 1,400 publishing companies from all over the country will bring in about 400,000 titles and cultural products.