Shanghai books to be displayed in Frankfurt

By Chen Qide (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-09-30 15:41

Shanghaipublishers will, for the first time, present books at Frankfurt Book Fair which will be held on October 13, said an official from the Shanghai Press and Publication Bureau Wednesday.

Wang Shijun, chief of the bureau's Foreign Exchange and Co-operation Section, said a delegation led by Bureau Director Jiao Yang will set off for Frankfurt in Germany on October 12 with representatives of 38 publishing houses.

"This is the first time for the city to send such a big delegation abroad to showcase its cultural products," said Wang.

As a major guest country at the fair, China, with Shanghai as its key part, has rent a 3500-square-meter area to display its exhibits.

Wang said exhibits at the fair will be concerned about the World Expo, Chinese culture, digital products, printing technology and copy rights.

"The fair will be a stimulus to the local publishing industry in sharpening its competitive edge at the international market," said Zhou Siqin, a bureau official.

"More visitors will know more about the World Expo Shanghai and the metropolitan culture through the fair."

Zhou said more than 500 varieties of books involving politics, economy, society, culture and science will be showcased at the fair, including 73 kinds of Expo books. Exhibits also included are 180 kinds of books on Chinese culture.

The city will display its digital products at the fair, which are produced by its Zhangjiang digital base.

The base created sales of 12.3 billion yuan last year, accounting for one-fifth of China's digital products.