The 27th Hong Kong Book Fair, as highlight annual cultural event, last from July 20-26 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) in Wan Chai. This year’s fair welcomes 640 exhibitors from 35 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 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 2016 Book Fair showcased across 14 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 380 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 “Chinese Martial Arts Literature”, with the tag line “Reading the World ･ Heroism and Romance of the Chinese Martial World”. This year’s Book Fair adopts Chinese Martial Arts Literature as its overarching theme, highlighting Hong Kong’s influence on the genre since the 1950s and 60s. Over the years, short stories, novels, comics, TV series and even computer games with a Chinese martial arts theme have become popular with different generations around the world.

The Chinese Martial Arts Literature exhibition located in the Art Gallery introduces readers to eight esteemed Hong Kong Chinese martial arts novelists from different eras. They include Liang Yu Sheng, Jin Yong (Louis Cha), Gu Long, Ni Kuang, Woon Swee Oan, Huang Yi, Jozev Lau and Zheng Feng. The zone also displays valuable historical artefacts such as manuscripts, first editions and adapted comics and films while the Literary Giant – Jin Yong and Louis Cha exhibition showcases the work of one of the most influential modern Chinese martial arts novelists of all time. Jointly organised by the HKTDC and the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, visitors can view Jin Yong’s manuscripts, novels, handwritten couplets and related works.

A series of Book Fair seminars feature renowned martial arts literature novelists such as Woon Swee Oan, Jozev Lau and Zheng Feng. Other expert speakers include Professor Yumi Okazaki of Waseda University in Japan; Sham Sai-shing, Chief Editor of martial arts magazine Wuxia Shijie; and Dr Albert Yeung, Honorary Chairman of the Hong Kong Novelist Association. They discuss Chinese martial arts literature from different perspectives.

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 fair wasdivided into various product zones, with Children’s Paradise returning to showcase reading material for children of all ages. There also be a new Talent Hub zone, where parents and children can browse information of extracurricular activities. At the International Cultural Village, foreign consulates and associations from 23 countries and regions showcase cultural highlights to stimulate interest among children and adults alike. English Avenue returns to the fair with more than 30 exhibitors.

Art Gallery
Among the exhibitions at the Art Gallery wasA Journey to “Silk Road”: Shaanxi and India. Visitors wasable to appreciate precious artefacts from the Chinese province of Shaanxi and India, which is regarded as one of the four great ancient civilisations. Western Zhou Dynasty bronze works, Qin brick, Han tile, Tang sancai and Silk Road coins from Xian; and, from India, paintings, ethnic clothing, agar wood, tea and decorations wasdisplayed. The HKTDC also arrange traditional Shaanxi and Indian performances to broaden the cultural horizons of visitors.

International Cultural Village
Foreign consulates and associations from 25 countries and regions are showcasing cultural highlights at the International Cultural Village to stimulate the interest of children and adults alike. Participating consulates include those from Belgium, Germany, Israel, Peru, South Africa and the United States. The Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau is also offering elementary French lessons and an introduction to French comics while columnist, blogger and food photographer Poyee Lee is sharing her experience of the French lifestyle.

The Kadokawa Group, one of Japan’s four largest publishers, as well as exhibitors from nine Japanese prefectures and cities – including Niigata, Wakayama, Hiroshima and Abashiri – are presenting works that represent the different cultures across Japan. First-time exhibitor Japan National Tourism Organisation is also highlighting the popular Japanese tradition of collecting stamps from temples and shrines while traveling. During the fair, visitors to the Japanese Pavilion can win a prize for completing a stamp collection card.

Children’s Paradise
For children and parents, the Children and Youth Reading Series feature award-winning Chinese Taiwan illustrator Huang Chih Ming and Hong Kong’s Joyce Choi to spotlight the joy of children’s picture books. Occupational therapist Silvia Mak, mother of Miss Hong Kong Louisa Mak, and Agnes Chan speak about parenting while seasoned media personality Lawrence Cheng, artist Louisa So and Principal Derek Yeung share selected stories with children.

Seminar Series
The Book Fair also feature well-known overseas authors and works in different languages. Respected entrepreneur and arts enthusiast Sir David Tang has invited three leading writers to take part in the Open Public Forum on 22 July. They include writer, philanthropist and documentary director Hannah Rothschild, author and journalist Simon Winchester and best-selling historical fiction author Wilbur Smith. The British Council, meanwhile, is bringing award-winning Hong Kong-born British poet Sarah Howe to take part in the Book Fair for the first time.

The Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau has arranged for children’s and young adult book author Elisabeth Brami, journalist and author Florence de Changy and Christine Cappio, a French national living in Hong Kong, to introduce their works. With the support from the Consuls General of Mexico, Peru and the Argentine Republic, Rodrigo Cacho, an expert in Renaissance and Baroque cultures, join the fair to speak about Spanish-American colonial literature.

In addition to the French and Mexican writers, the World of Knowledge Seminar Series also feature a number of local celebrities such as artisan jeweller Wallace Chan, renowned author and host Chua Lam, designer and artist Kan Tai Keung and Cantonese opera master Franco Yuen.

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of several master playwrights, including Tang Xian Zu, a Chinese playwright from the Ming Dynasty; peerless English playwright and poet William Shakespeare; and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the creator of Don Quixote. A number of related talks washeld to commemorate these great playwrights.

This year’s Book Fair continues to bring together renowned authors from the mainland and overseas to share their insights in storytelling. The HKTDC collaborate with Ming Pao and Yazhou Zhoukan to co-organise the Renowned Writers Seminar Series. Heavyweight speakers include Ye Yong Lie (journalism and biography), Cao Wen Xuan (children’s literature and 2016 Hans Christian Andersen Author Award winner), Lung Ying Tai and Jan Hung Tze (renowned Taiwanese authors), Professor Way Kuo (President of the City University of Hong Kong), Ma Ka Fai, Jin Ren Shun (Chunshen Original Literary Award winning author) and Jiang Sheng Nan.

Other seminar series at the Book Fair include: the Lifestyle Seminar Series, featuring healthy living expert Yim Ho, travel writer James Hong, media personality Cheuk Wan-chi and Hong Kong’s Wandering Photography, which is a group that focusses on nature photography; the Personal Development and Spiritual Growth Seminar Series, with commentator Lee Yee, Vice-Chancellor of The Chinese University of Hong Kong Professor Joseph Sung and author Black; and the Hong Kong Cultural and Historical Seminar Series, where creator Keith Ho, lyricist Jolland Chan, well-known talent agent Joe Chan, internationally renowned chef Martin Yan and Hong Kong Baptist University history professor Ricardo Mak talk about the transformation of Hong Kong society.

Cultural July
The HKTDC is collaborating with other cultural institutions, schools, government departments and companies to co-organise Cultural July. The citywide festival aims to arouse the public’s interest and participation in cultural activities, which include more than 250 events, from sharing sessions, storytelling, theatre workshops, cultural tours and photography exhibitions.

HKTDC 50th Anniversary
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.

Coinciding with the opening of the Hong Kong Book Fair at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, a large-scale “Fly Together” art jamming session featuring celebrated cross-media artist Simon Ma. More than 500 youngsters participated to create artworks under the theme “Fly Together,” which reflects the notion of creativity having no boundaries. Through the art jamming activity, to encourage more Hong Kong youngsters to flex their creativity.

For 50 years, the HKTDC has actively promoted Hong Kong’s external trade through diverse services and promotional activities. HKTDC championing Hong Kong’s enterprising spirit and SME development and generating business opportunities for local SMEs. It was the Hong Kong people’s creativity and perseverance that made Hong Kong an international trading hub.