The ongoing 31st Beijing International Book Fair is witnessing robust copyright trading activity, with science fiction and cultural works emerging as particularly sought-after commodities among international publishers.
A total of 90,000 titles are available for copyright transactions at this year's event running from June 18 to 22.
The fair has already facilitated several significant deals, including Zhejiang Ancient Books Publishing House's recently published "Poetic Zhejiang" series securing a copyright export agreement with Malaysia's Han Culture Center just months after its release.
"The excellence of our poetry needs no explanation. The works speak for themselves. The copyright exports to Malaysia and other regions represent a mutual cultural exchange process that demonstrates the power of cultural dissemination and influence," said Tao Ran, professor at Zhejiang University's College of Liberal Arts in east China's Zhejiang Province.
The Hunan Juvenile and Children's Publishing House in central China's Hunan Province reported strong international interest in its "China's Intangible Cultural Heritage" picture book series, with copyrights sold to over 10 countries and regions including Brazil.
The series has been published in multiple language editions including Sinhalese, Nepali, Portuguese and Chinese-Italian bilingual versions.
"Children's hearts know no borders. Through vibrant and vivid illustrations, we introduce intangible cultural heritage to young readers. Books rooted in Chinese traditional culture have gained remarkable popularity worldwide. Countries like Brazil and Italy have actively sought to acquire the copyrights to these books," said Hu Juanmi, editor-in-chief of the publisher.
Federico Roberto Antonelli, Cultural Counselor of the Italian Embassy in China, noted, "Chinese authors are gaining increasing global recognition, including in Italy. The exhibition of books for younger readers, I think, represents a particularly successful example. Cooperation between Italy and China continues to strengthen."
The fair also saw the launch of the first achievements from the China-Singapore Classics Translation Project, with the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press presenting three translated works.
So far, China has signed book translation and publishing agreements with 23 other Asian countries.
Elena Pasoli, director of the Bologna Children's Book Fair, commented, "It's very lively, full of content. And this continuous exchange that we have been exploring over the years has broad, wonderful results in the collaboration. This is a clear picture of the friendship, of the mutual interest in working together."
31st Beijing International Book Fair sees booming copyright exports
