Books published by Taiwan publishers, subject to restrictions on
the Chinese mainland, are now expected for sale in mainland
bookstores for the first time.
The third Cross-Straits Book Fair will open in Xiamen, a costal
city of East China's Fujian Province, from October 26 to 31. Most
of the mainland publishers and Taiwan's 100 biggest publishers have
been invited to attend the fair, said the organizing committee.
The fair will provide a platform for previewing and ordering
book samples, with the exception of book displays, sales and
copyright trading. All of the Xinhua distribution groups and
bookstores on the mainland will come and order Taiwan books,
according to the organizing committee. Citizens will be able to buy
Taiwan books in the Xinhua bookstores nationwide in the near
future.
Other activities during the fair include business cooperation
talks between the mainland and Taiwan publishers, cultural
exchanges and lectures by famous writers.
At the fair, comic and animation products and Internet games
will also be exhibited for the first time.
The book fair is sponsored by the Xiamen Municipal Government,
the Fujian Provincial Bureau of Press and Publication, the
Publishers Association of China, Taiwan Publishing Association and
Taiwan Book Distributors Association.
About 500 booths, including 150 for Taiwan publishers, will be
set up in five exhibition halls covering 33,300 square meters and a
sales area of about 10,000 square meters.
The past two book fairs were held in Xiamen in July 2005 and in
Taipei in September 2006 respectively.
(China Daily August 27, 2007)