The 2023 Shanghai Book Fair returned to the Shanghai Exhibition Center on Wednesday. [Photo/VCG]

The 2023 Shanghai Book Fair, which returned to the Shanghai Exhibition Center on Wednesday, is set to reach record attendance both online and offline.

Avid readers and collectors have come to the fair in throngs, which will last through Aug 22. Adding to the buzz are various livestreaming promotions, a new method to extend the event's reach developed during the pandemic years.

An annual event since 2004, the fair has become a celebration of literature, fostering a sense of community among publishers, authors and readers.

Over the past 19 years, the event has continued even during the COVID-19 pandemic. The past three editions have been mostly online, held along with a few offline events open to a restricted number of visitors.

This year's event, which featured a 40 percent annual increase in exhibition area, is set to regain its pre-pandemic attendance of more than 400,000 visitors.

Over 850 reading events, more than double that of the previous year, includes various activities curated to meet the needs of consumers and celebrate the unique allure of physical bookstores.

International Literary Week, for instance, will feature panel discussions on international publishing affairs. Titled "Community of Narratives", this event delves into broader storytelling realms.

Over 30 guests from home and abroad, including Australian writer Richard Flanagan, winner of the 2014 Booker Prize, and Angolan novelist Jose Eduardo Agualus, have been invited to share their stories.

The fair aims to elevate its brand influence through book sales and reading activities to create an immersive "city of books" and encourage widespread reading among the public.

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