Book fair features 8 themed areas

As the centerpiece of Shenzhen Reading Month, the Fourth Shenzhen Book Fair officially kicked off Friday and will run until Nov. 20, with the main venue set up at the Shenzhen Book City CBD Store in Futian District and eight subvenues across the city.

This year, the book fair has further expanded and has invited about 600 quality domestic publishers to participate. Some 1.59 million copies of 220,000 categories of books are on display and for sale.

Meanwhile, eight themed display areas have been set up in the square outside the main venue.

Over 100 cultural activities including new book releases, book signings, an open-air film screening and sunset concerts are lined up for residents to join the reading and cultural carnival.

According to the organizers, more than 20 renowned scholars and writers including Ge Jianxiong, Zhang Jiajia, Ma Boyong, Shen Shixi and Liang Yong’an have been invited to attend the 10-day event.

Residents at Shenzhen Book City CBD Store in this undated file photo. Sun Yuchen

Big discounts of up to 50% will be given to encourage residents to buy more books. Readers can also use consumption coupons to get better deals when purchasing books.

In addition to a display area themed around the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the fair also set up special themed areas to showcase books related to traditional Chinese culture, excellent books recommended by the fair, Shenzhen Reading Month’s annual top 10 good books and top 10 children’s books, as well as national key new books for 2022.

High-quality publications related to Hong Kong culture, including the works of well-known Hong Kong writers and classic Hong Kong books, will also be displayed in a bid to enhance Shenzhen citizens’ understanding of Hong Kong culture.

In order to meet citizens’ needs for online reading, the fair has also launched its online version on a WeChat miniprogram, which provides services such as book fair navigation, online book purchases, live events and book recommendations.