The 2026 Beijing Book Fair opened on Saturday simultaneously at four majors parks across the city, set to offer a month-long cultural feast for visitors.
On Saturday morning, the Chaoyang Park in downtown Beijing was bustling with enthusiastic book lovers eager to read and buy books.
"I love to read books about history. This is the latest book of Chinese novelist Ma Boyong and it was sold at 35 percent off. I think it is a good deal," said a resident surnamed Huang.
Running until May 17, the book fair sees participation by more than 2,000 bookstores across the city, with the event's four venues at the Chaoyang Park in the east, the Shougang Park in the west, the Nanyuan Forest Wetland Park in the south, and the Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park in the north covering a total area of approximately 16,000 square meters, setting a new record for scale. Over 70 related events will be held in residential communities, commercial districts and schools.
"We have set up centralized exhibition areas in parks located in the east, south, west and north of the city, in striving to expand the coverage of the book fair," said Li Kun, an official from the publicity department of Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China.
To boost spending, Beijing plans to distribute a total of 6 million yuan (around 880,056 U.S. dollars) in book vouchers at the event. Meanwhile, visitors who attended the ongoing 16th Beijing International Film Festival screenings can receive book vouchers at book fair by presenting their film ticket stubs.
2026 Beijing Book Fair kicks off in four major parks
The Iran-U.S. negotiations have made initial progress, but there is still a gap to be bridged before a final agreement is reached, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday, according to Iranian media reports.
In an interview with local media, Ghalibaf said that despite the potential chaos caused by the loss of Iran's commander-in-chief, chief of staff, and commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the war, Iran responded swiftly. He said this demonstrates the robustness of Iran's organizational structure.
Ghalibaf said that Iran accepted the ceasefire to express its demands. Regarding the progress of negotiations with the United States, he said that the talks had not eliminated the distrust between the two sides, but both sides had gained a more pragmatic understanding of each other. Iran maintained its position on certain issues, and these demands were non-negotiable.
The Strait of Hormuz remains under Iran's control, said the speaker. During the Islamabad negotiations, the U.S. side attempted to conduct demining operations, but Iran responded firmly and regarded it as a violation of the ceasefire agreement, he said.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Saturday night that Iran would not supply any enriched uranium to the United States. He said that while Iran is willing to address any legitimate concerns, it will not compromise on any unacceptable conditions.
Khatibzadeh also said that Iran is seeking to finalize the framework agreement before holding face-to-face talks. Furthermore, as part of negotiations with the United States, a new set of guidelines will be developed for the Strait of Hormuz, which will remain open to all civilian traffic and ensure security, he said.
Long way to go before reaching final agreement with US: Iranian official
