China's guest of Honor logo. [File photo]

China is the guest of honor at the 2015 BookExpo America’s Global Market Forum, and its delegation will include more than 100 of the most important Chinese publishing houses and groups. In addition, 26 of China’s best-known writers and poets, including Liu Zhenyun, Bi Feiyu, Feng Tang, and Xi Chuan, will be in attendance, participating in cultural-exchange events.

The Guest of Honor Pavilion will be divided into zones for book and culture exhibitions. It will be the 2015 BEA’s largest pavilion, and a center of focus for all types of publishing professionals. It will also be used by Chinese publishers as a place to buy and sell rights.

More than 10,000 books will be presented at the Guest of Honor Pavilion, in a variety of displays reflecting the politics, economics, culture, and art of modern China. There will also be a Chinese-American translation display, showcasing translations of the two countries’ classic works of literature, education, and philosophy, and a digital publishing zone, displaying the newest products for mobile clients, digital publishing software, digital publications, and e-readers. In honor of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, there will also be a display commemorating China’s participation in the war.

The cultural exhibition zone will feature two main exhibitions, whose themes are the ancient and modern, respectively: one will display China’s ancient printing technology, and the other will feature current art. The former will be arranged according to the historical development of printing in China, beginning with the origin of Chinese characters and the earliest invention of printing technology, and continuing through the late Qing dynasty; it will also include a demonstration of Chinese ancient woodblock printing. The latter exhibition will showcase more than 50 important works of art by big-name artists at the cutting edge, such as Xu Lei and Feng Yan.

Events Highlighting Chinese Publishing and Culture

More than 100 cultural and publishing exchange events will be held during BEA, on such subjects as Chinese literature, the Chinese publishing market, and Chinese books.

Twenty-six Chinese writers will also be in attendance, including some with English translations already published, such as Su Tong, Liu Zhenyun, Mai Jia, and Bi Feiyu, and others who are bringing new books to English-language readers, including Feng Tang, Liu Cixin, and A Yi. In addition to established authors of literary fiction and nonfiction, the delegation will include the Chinese poets Xi Chuan, Lan Lan, and Zhao Lihong, renowned children’s authors Qin Wenjun and Cao Wenxuan, and newer voices such as Di An, Xu Zechen, and Sheng Keyi. The writers will participate in readings and discussions, sharing their views on literature with the American public.

Five high-level publishing forums will be held during BEA: the Chinese-American Publishing & Media Industry Forum, the Chinese-American Digital Publishing Forum, the Chinese-American Education Publishing Forum, the Chinese-American Literature Translation Forum, and the Chinese-American Reading Promotion Forum. Representatives of the China and U.S. publishing industries will share their thoughts and experiences at these events, deepening the exchange between the two countries’ publishing industries.

The variety of Chinese culture will be on display at five venues, including the aforementioned display in the show-floor pavilion. In addition to the exhibitions on historical printing and current art at the Guest of Honor Pavilion, the Beautiful China photo exhibit will feature 72 striking photographs of the country’s lovely landscapes and heritage sites; Restructuring and Innovation: Contemporary Chinese Architecture will highlight the connections between Chinese architecture and China’s present state of urban development, introduce the realities of urbanization in China, and examine the possibilities for sustainable development; and Contemporary Chinese Literature and Film will show audiences how Chinese literature has been adapted to film, giving a more direct look at the nature of Chinese art and culture.

Between its rich exhibitions of books and culture, and its in-depth publishing forums and writer events, China’s guest of honor program is sure to provide American audiences with a multifaceted firsthand understanding of contemporary China.

Event Details

Chinese-American Industry May 27 2:30 – 4:45 p.m. Room 1E11, Javits Publishing & Media Forum

Chinese-American Digital May 28 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Room 1E11, Javits Publishing Forum

Chinese-American Literature May 28 2 – 4 p.m. Room 1E11, Javits Translation Forum

Chinese-American May 29 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Room 1E11, Javits Education Publishing Forum

Chinese-American Reading May 29 2:30 – 4 p.m. Room 1E11, Javits Promotion Forum

This article was sponsored and written by China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Corp., organizer of China Market Focus Events.