Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – The 2025 Southern China Book Festival, themed "A Book-Filled Bay Area, A World of Reading, A Shared Future," opened on the 15th.
This year's festival features one main venue and 467 themed sub-venues, showcasing nearly 500,000 publications and cultural and creative products from over 1,500 domestic and international publishing institutions. A total of 2,335 cultural activities will be held across the main and sub-venues. The main venue, located at the Guangzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center, covers approximately 40,000 square meters and features four themed exhibition halls: "Reading the World," "Reading the Future," "Reading Life," and "Reading Guangzhou," along with 24 themed pavilions and four interactive functional areas.
The "Reading the World" themed international cultural exhibition hall brings together cultural essence from Southeast Asia, Europe, and Central Asia, showcasing publishing achievements from 23 countries and regions. At the European pavilions, reporters observed that Chinese versions of works such as Roderick Levenhardt's science fiction novel *Stars*, Olga Tokarczuk's novel *Erna*, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau's educational work *Emile* were prominently displayed, attracting numerous readers.
At the opening ceremony of the international pavilion, José Borgino, Secretary General of the International Publishers Association, stated that the introduction of translated works, collaborative publishing, and transnational cooperation have always been core topics of exchange at book fairs. He was pleased to see that the Southern China Book Fair has become an essential event for expanding the international publishing market and hoped that publishers worldwide would unite their efforts to promote mutual learning among civilizations.
This year's Southern China Book Fair boasted a gathering of renowned figures from home and abroad, including writers such as Liang Xiaosheng, Ge Fei, Ma Boyong, and Zhang Xiaoxian, as well as entertainment figures such as Wang Jing and Han Hong, making it the largest event in its history in terms of the lineup of distinguished guests.
Several foreign authors met and interacted with Chinese readers, showcasing their classic works. "I never imagined I had so many Chinese readers. I'm deeply moved that everyone enjoys my books," said Wendelin Van Draanen, American author of the bestselling "Flipped." She added that books are indeed a bridge connecting different cultures. Even though we live in different corners of the world, we still share a common heart. (End)
