The Hong Kong Book Fair 2005 concluded successfully Monday with a record visitors of over 500,000, registering 10 percent to 20 percent increase over last year, the organizer said Monday.

The 16th Hong Kong Book Fair, organized by the Trade Development Council (TDC), was held from July 20 to 25 at the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Center. A total of 383 publishers participated at the fair, 53 of which are first time exhibitors.

Compared with precious book fairs, this year's event is more international. Some 12 countries took part in the "International Village" pavilion, including France, Denmark, Spain, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Among the 12 international exhibitors, France had the biggest exhibition area, accommodating about 250 comic book publications and children's books.

In addition, the French Cultural Day made its debut at the bookfair on July 24. A series of events were held that day, featuring seminars, book signings and business-matching activities.

As one of the focuses of the French Cultural Day, three popular French comic artists -- Alex Alice, Chantal Montellier and Michel Plessix -- were invited to meet their fans at the book fair.

Another highlight of this year's book fair is a series of seminars talking about Chinese literature. Well-known writers from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, China's Taiwan and other parts of the world gathered together discussing a general topic "Exploring the New Frontiers of Writing" from different angles. Over 2,000 readers attended the seminars, which hit another record high.

Su Tong, a famous novelist from the Chinese mainland and now doing a UNESCO project on Chinese mythology, said he has learned a lot from his current work. By communicating with the ancients, he has found a unique way of writing, which belongs to him alone.

"A writer dies when he confines himself to the sanctum. He should go out and make dialogues with the folk literature, the history and illusion," he said.

Chan Koon-chung, a Hong Kong writer who is now living in Beijing, talked about writing with dialects. Though all are Chinese, Beijing dialect, Fujian dialect and Cantonese are so different. But we need not worry about the split of the language. On the contrary, it only proves that the Chinese language is alive. "Let's call it 'One Chinese, Multiple Expression'," he said.

Nan Fang-shuo, a Taiwan critic, said there lie no blocks between readings. A statesman can be a crazy literature lover. A scientist may also write beautiful poetry. "In the long run, reading widely and in a jovial way can broaden one's mind and soften one's heart," he said.

Lung Ying-tai, professor of Hong Kong University, has traveled a lot throughout the world in recent years. "To have a clearer picture of a phenomenon or a person, even of yourself, you should observe in the distance, otherwise you will never know who you are," she said.

She pointed out that the identity confusion over the Hong Kong people does not lie in the language but the culture behind the language. "Whatever language you choose to speak as your mother tongue, please have a thorough understanding of the culture behind the language," she said.

Some other famous scholars and writers also shared their opinions on Chinese literature in the 21st century.

Other highlights of this year's book fair include The Critics' Recommendation in which local renowned critics were invited to comment on 40 sets of newly published books selected from over 300choices by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (ADC) Book Fair selection panel.

Besides, the Hong Kong Arts Center and the Wanchai District Council of Hong Kong have joined forces to stage a series of special exhibitions. These include "Literature and Film Crossover" and "Wanchai Cultural Map" which features Wanchai's historical architecture.

Also on the activity list are "the Reading Write-up Competition for Students" which has got an overwhelming response with more than 1,000 entries, "Children's Paradise" which encourages parents and children to enjoy reading together, and "Asian Publishing Conference."

Executive Director of the TDC Fred Lam said he believed that local culture could play an important role in a city's development. As the annual book fair event becomes more and more popular, it has turned to be a cultural footnote of Hong Kong.

"Hong Kong is a comprehensive society. It provides readers with all Chinese books from Hong Kong, the mainland and Taiwan. In the long run, Hong Kong will serve as a platform to promote Chinese books," Lam said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2005)