A book feast for the eyes

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.

Wang Guiying, vice-mayor of Jinan, says the city has been busy making preparations for the expo, and the government will offer free book vouchers worth 5 million yuan ($778,000) to the city's booklovers to encourage them to purchase books and other relevant products.

Wang says the expo will feature more than 600 events including 10 key forums deemed as the expo's traditional gathering, 100 book launches and writers events, and more than 500 cultural events with a local touch. The writers events will feature Shandong writers including the novelist and poet Zhang Wei, and history writer and lecturer Yan Chongnian.

"We'll also present an exhibition of 100 Red Classics Throughout a Century to mark the big day of the Party's centennial," Wang adds.

As this is the city's second time hosting the national book expo－the first being in 2009, the organizers say they would present a contemporary expo capable of attracting readers from varied age groups.

In light of challenges in an ongoing pandemic, the expo will also go digital for the first time.

Li Wenchao, who is with the Jinan municipal publicity department, says the online expo will be a complex of VR exhibitions, immersive cultural experiences, smart tailor-made printing, AI technologies, apart from its official website and WeChat account.

"We'll also enhance green ideas, and all the material used in conferences and in building the exhibition pavilions should be environmentally friendly and recyclable. Nonbiodegradable plastic products are not allowed," Li adds.

Liu Xiaokai, director of the print and distribution department under the National Press and Publication Administration, says it is a remarkable year to hold a grand national book event, both online and on site.

"We hope the expo offers a chance for us publishing professionals and readers to gain a deeper understanding of underlying logic and reasons－be it theoretical, cultural, political or social ones－to support the achievements Chinese people have made over the years, and the happy lives they're enjoying," Liu says.

Last year's book expo in Xi'an showcased 340,000 titles, including 159 titles by or about President Xi Jinping, and 2,400 quality titles winning national awards. Revenue from the Xi'an expo exceeded 228 million yuan.

The three cities selected for this year's expo have their own unique attractions.

Jinan is known for the Longshan Culture which dates back more than 4,000 years. Tai'an is the birthplace of the Neolithic Dawenkou Culture, a place where the earliest engraved texts were found. It is also where the Taishan Mountain is located, a double heritage crown in terms of both nature and culture.

Wang Yanyan, who is with the Tai'an municipal publicity department, says Tai'an is home to the country's first and only press and publications theme town.

"We now have 60 companies in the printing and publication business here, and will aim to reach around 100 companies in five years," says Wang, adding that the theme town welcomes visitors during the book expo.

A city known for its oceanic attractions, Yantai will incorporate music into its poetry recital events at the expo.

Organizers hope booklovers will enjoy the expo, and that they will also have a culturally enriching trip, whether virtually or on site, to one of the origins of Chinese civilization.