Prairie city to host book expo

Logo of 26th National Book Trading Expo. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Baotou is known for grasslands in the middle of downtown, rare earths and its status as the Inner Mongolia autonomous region's biggest industrial hub.

It's known for the flocks of sheep and herds of deer that cover its prairies in July, when the grass reaches its annual peak — and when the city will this year host the 26th National Book Trading Expo.

The event will run from July 28-30 at the Baotou International Exhibition Center. Two other cities in the autonomous region — Wuhai and Ulanqab — will host parts of the expo, too.

The event's organizing committee selected the official logo and slogans from 5,219 candidates collected nationwide.

"Through the expo, we hope to showcase the region's culture and promote reading," says Inner Mongolia's vice-chairman, Liu Xinle.

Liu also hopes the expo will strengthen the region's role as a key station of cultural exchanges with Mongolia and Russia.

Chinese titles — especially kids books — enjoy ample space on bookshelves in outer Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar, deputy-director of the Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Pang Yamin, tells China Daily.

Baotou’s mayor, Du Xuejun, says the city has organized reading festivals for five years, during which time more than 1,000 activities have promoted reading.

"We view the upcoming book expo as a chance to boost the city’s image and attract more investments," Du says.

Yan Xiaohong, deputy-director of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, stresses that the expo should invite big-name writers to interact with readers.

Books on the 95th anniversary of the Communist Party of China's founding and the 80th anniversary of the Long March's success — two key events this year — will also be highlighted, Yan adds.

There will also be an exhibition of Chinese Printing Culture, a readers meeting, a gala honoring the top 10 representatives of avid readers in the country, and a dialogue between publishers and experts in the realm of intellectual-property trades for film and TV adaptations.

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