The 2002 Frankfurt Book Fair, an annual grand gathering for booksellers, publishers and readers, opened on October 8 in Frankfurt, situated along the River Main in central Germany. The China International Publishing Group (CIPG), as the leading institution of foreign language publications in China, has set out to make its mark at the week-long event.

This year, co-sponsored by the State Press and Publication Administration, State Council Information Office, and CIPG, China sent 303 people from 178 press and publishing institutions to the book fair. Chinese exhibitors brought 4,718 books of 4,610 kinds to the fair. To showcase the splendid Chinese culture and the development level of Chinese publishing industry, 350 books of 250 kinds are now put on display on a most eye-attracting exhibition shelf in the 368-sq-m Chinese exhibition area. All Chinese exhibition booths are designed by renowned Chinese artists and made by the country.

Before their departure, China.org.cn reporters interviewed exhibitors from the New World Press and Foreign Languages Press, both operating under the umbrella of the CIPG.

The Foreign Languages Press prepared over 80 kinds of new-edition books for the Frankfurt exhibition. They have recently published the National Flag, Emblem and Anthem, and Culture of China series in six languages. To cater to the German readers of the hosting country, they also printed a group of books in German, including Tibetan Scene, Chinese Tea Culture and novels of Chinese famous writer Lu Xun: Ye Cao (Wild Grass), Pang Huang (Wandering) and Na Han (Call to Arms).

Meanwhile the New World Press strongly recommends four titles at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2002: Ancient Chinese Buildings, A Collection of Calligraphy of Auspicious Chinese Characters, Paintings on Old Beijing, and Chinese Writers Archives (series).

According to Jiang Hanzhong, rights manager for the New World Press, two kinds of books are most frequently called for. The first category caters to enjoyment, while the second category caters to practical skills. The first kind of books covers topics of Chinese folk arts such as the Peking Opera and Chinese paintings. However, the copyright that covers them is no better than the practical books, which is predominately comprised of books focusing on language learning.

"The books on learning Chinese are most widely accepted at the exhibition," said Jiang. Last year, the New World Press sold out the copyrights on these kinds of books, mainly to the Republic of Korea. One reason is that Chinese has become a necessity for Koreans looking for work in China. On the other hand, it shows the increasingly important position the Chinese language is occupying in the world. Also, books on learning English have an optimistic market. The purchasers of book licenses in this area were mostly Taiwanese or publishers from Hong Kong. Singaporean publishers showed great interests in importing dictionaries as well as Chinese classics, for instance, the Cai Gen Tan (Zen of Vegetable Roots, a book integrating the philosophy of Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism).

"The book fair actually provides us an opportunity to get to know one another. Few publishing houses from China sign contracts on the spot. We contact foreign booksellers by fax or e-mail for a long time before we finally reach an agreement. We come to the book fair just to talk with each other face to face," Jiang said. Last year, the New World Press signed 20 contracts on copyright transfer; most were done outside the book fair.

Fang Yongming, deputy chief of staff of the Foreign Languages Press, totally agrees with this. "The Frankfurt Book Fair is actually a platform for people to establish their relationship and exchange feelings," he said, "This is an economic and scientific way to trade books." As some exhibitors will be able to sell their books during the last days, the book fair also becomes a place of happiness for readers.

Fang also pointed out the weakening role of the book fair in a cyber age. "Internet facilitates are used tremendously and we now buy and sell copyrights over networks," he said.

However, participation in book fairs makes publishers recognize what foreign readers are really interested in. "We found that they might not be interested in the books we thought they would be, and that they might actually be interested in those we thought they had no interest in at all," Jiang said, "This helps us decide the future orientation of our publishing strategy."

Foreigners are eager to know more about China, but find it difficult to find interesting books. They may not be accustomed to the way China introduces itself, the size of the book, or the printing and wording of Chinese publications. "I once met a foreigner on plane back to Beijing. He was reading a book about China published in his country," Jiang said. To cope with this kind of problem, in recent years China has been engaged in cooperative publication with others. For example, the recently completed Ancient Chinese Buildings by the New World Press is a co-product of China and the United States. "We are planning an inaugural ceremony for the English edition at the beginning of next year in the United States," said Jiang.

CIPG has also begun developing e-publications in recent years. For the book fair, the Foreign Languages Press prepares some VCDs in both Chinese and English, including Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Learn to Make Chinese Knots and Learn to Cook Chinese Dishes.

Besides book exhibitions, China has also arranged a symposium entitled "Chinese Culture in Europe" during the period of exhibition time, at which book and copyright donation ceremonies will be conducted.

According to Wang Tong, director of the Library Service Department of China National Microforms Im/Ex Corporation operating under the China International Book Trading Corporation, five sinologists will lecture at the symposium. They are all renowned figures in China studies: David Helliwell, director of Department of Oriental Books, Bodleian Library, Oxford; Dr. Nathalie Monnet, Document Department of Paris National Library; Dr. J.-M. Streffer, Berlin State Library; Barbara Mittler, professor of East Asia Institute, Heidelberg University; and Lutz Bieg, professor of East Asia Department, University of Cologne.

(china.org.cn by staff reporter Li Jinhui, October 9, 2002)