Hong Kong Book Fair 2015, China

The 26th Hong Kong Book Fair, as highlight annual cultural event, last from July 15-21 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) in Wan Chai. This year’s fair welcomes 580 exhibitors from more than 30 countries and regions present books on a wide range of topics and in various languages, giving members of the public the chance to enjoy their favourite books and take part in various cultural events. A range of on-site seminars and Art Gallery exhibitions, feature leading writers from around the world, also received an enthusiastic response.

By showcase and exhibiting books, printed matter, stationery, printing, compact discs and other multimedia publishing. Hong Kong Book Fair striving to promote local reading culture. Apart from extensively inviting the public to the Fair to visit and buy books, it also spares no effort in organising diversified cultural activities during the Book Fair period with a view to enhance the contents and quality of the Fair.

The 2015 Book Fair divided into different thematic zones, showcasing a diverse selection of reading materials, including the General Books Pavilion, English Avenue, International Cultural Village, Children’s Paradise and e-Books & e-Learning Resource.

More than 350 cultural activities are arranged during the week-long event including seminars, readings, new book parades, storytelling sessions and performances with the aim of cultivating the public’s cultural awareness and interest in reading. Meanwhile, the Art Gallery, staged on the third floor of the HKCEC, presents a number of exhibitions to enrich readers’ cultural knowledge.

Theme Pavilion
This year the Book Fair under the theme “Reading the World ・ Love at First Book”. Seven seminar series featuring participation from several high-profile authors and speakers. The fair welcomes a bevy of leading international writers including Swiss author Alain de Botton, British historian and novelist Simon Sebag Montefiore and biographer and journalist Carol Thatcher as well as Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri.

Award-winning author Ben Okri is among the stars at the Book Fair. The Nigerian-born poet and novelist, who won the Booker Prize for Fiction for his 1991 novel The Famished Road, is appearing at the Book Fair alongside renowned children’s author Keith Gray through collaboration between the British Council and the HKTDC.

Meanwhile, the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau and the HKTDC inviteed French illustrator Christian Heinrich, as well as writers Timothée de Fombelle and Christophe Ono‐dit‐Biot, to share their insights with readers at the fair. A Latin American pavilion featuring works in English and Chinese from Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Peru also hold readings and presentations.

Highlights
Apart from echoing the Theme of the Year, Hong Kong Book Fair cultivate a love for reading, so that people enjoy a more colourful life in a more beautiful world.

The Book Fair comprises a number of zones, including English Avenue, which feature more than 30 exhibitors including Commercial Press, Metrobooks, Swindon and PageOne, bringing a range of English titles to the event. The other zones are e-Books & e-Learning Resource, Chinese Mainland Publishers, Chinese Taiwan Publishing Community and International Cultural Village.

Art Gallery
The Art Gallery this year comprised three sections; “Author of the Year – Leo Ou-fan Lee” featured the writer’s contributions spanning half a century in three sections: Man of Letters; Scholar; and Amateur. Professor Lee was born in Henan Province and is a commentator, columnist and writer whose notable works include Shanghai Modern: The Flowering of a New Urban Culture in China, 1930-1945. Three seminars focus on Professor Lee and his work over the years.

Another highlights in Art Gallery include “A Journey to Xinjiang”, showcasing Xinjiang’s cultural heritage, literature, traditional costumes, crafts and photographs. A Xinjiang Dance Troupe also perform traditional dance pieces during the fair.

Apart from the Author of the Year exhibition, Art Gallery highlights include a Cantopop celebration. The “Lyrics That Moved A Generation: Half A Century Of Cantopop” feature works of famous lyricists since the genre became popular in the 1970s. Several renowned local lyricists, including Cheng Kwok-kong, Lo Kwok-chim, Poon Yuen-leung, Jolland Chan, Albert Leung and Siu Hak share insights with readers and Cantopop lovers.

Seminar Series
This year’s Open Public Forum moderated by Sir David Tang was held on 17 July from 5 to 7 pm at the HKCEC’s Theatre 1 & 2. Speakers include Swiss writer Alain de Botton, a philosopher and author of 14 bestselling books including Essays in Love, which was adapted into the film My Last Five Girlfriends.

Also appearing at the Open Public Forum was British historian and novelist Simon Sebag Montefiore and biographer-journalist Carol Thatcher.

Mr Montefiore is known for his historical masterpieces including Young Stalin and Jerusalem and enjoys widespread popularity through his fascinating portrayal of famous and infamous personalities.

Ms Thatcher is the daughter of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, whose subjects include her parents as well as tennis great Chris Evert. Her other biographical subjects include her mother, Margaret Thatcher and the tennis player Chris Evert. Ms Thatcher also worked as a journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail and BBC.

Christian Heinrich has been a French children’s book illustrator since 1989. He is the author of the series Les P’tites Poules. Mr Heinrich has been focusing on inspiring children and establishing readers’ understandings through illustration.

A wide range of authors from across Asia was at the Book Fair, including George Yeo, Chairman of Kerry Logistics and Singapore’s former Minister for Foreign Affairs, who launch his book The New Maritime Silk Road and its Impact on Hong Kong and Singapore.

Also featured was Lung Yingtai, Hou Hsiao Hsien and Chen Ruoxi from Chinese Taiwan; Chi Zijian, Jiu Yehui and Zhang Jiajia from the Chinese mainland; and Zha Jianyin from the United States, Li Sang from Malaysia and Japanese author Hifumi Arai. Local authors Maria Chaudhuri, Jason Ng and Mark O’Neill also speak at Book Fair seminars.

Cultural July
The city-wide Cultural July campaign take place alongside the Book Fair. The month-long campaign includes around 250 events, ranging from authors’ sharing sessions and family reading workshops, to guided neighbourhood tours and a wide variety of cultural events at book stores, shopping malls, educational institutions, coffee shops and other venues throughout Hong Kong.

Book Fair For All
To share the joy of reading with underprivileged children, and to inspire them to gain knowledge through reading, the SHKP 2015 Read To Dream programme this year sponsored more than 1,300 underprivileged children from 35 schools to visit the Book Fair and participate in the cultural events.

HKTDC
The HKTDC is the international marketing arm for Hong Kong-based traders, manufacturers and services providers. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China and throughout Asia. The HKTDC also organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in overseas markets, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room.