Books on China's development, culture a hit at London exhibition

Chinese publishers are showcasing about 4,000 titles at the London Book Fair, with works on China's development, culture and literature drawing attention from global experts in the publishing industry.

"Reading China" remained the theme of the joint exhibition booth of Chinese publishers, where top recommendations were showcased during the annual gathering at the Olympia London exhibition center.

Chinese publishers scheduled 40 events during the three-day fair through Thursday, attracting around 30,000 publishing professionals from around 90 countries and regions.

A symposium themed "China and the World in the New Era" was held at the China booth on Tuesday, together with a joint book launch.

Marcelino Elosua, founder and chair of Spanish publishing group LID Business Media, which launched Economic Analysis of China in the World, said there is one simple reason to read about China and learn about its economic success.

"You always have to look at the leader, and China has been the number one in the world for many years if you measure its economy by purchasing power parity," Elosua said, adding that China also leads in new patents and technologies.

"We see publishing not only as a business activity but also as a bridge between cultures and perspectives. In that spirit, we are proud and honored to publish the English version of the book," he said.

The book included works by six economists from Europe and Latin America, and examined China's evolving role in the international system from diverse perspectives.

One of the authors, John Ross, former director of economic and business policy for the mayor of London, said in a video speech that "while the United States is retreating into protectionism, China and Global South countries are growing very fast and have no desire to retreat from globalization".

Based on his study of China's technological development in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, Ross predicted that China will continue to move up the world's technological ladder in the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30).

"That's why it's necessary to look realistically at the situation of the Chinese economy," he said. "And that's what I think are the key aspects of the book."

Ahmed El-Saeed, president of Egypt's Bayt Alhekma Cultural Group, said China's development logic is rooted in its traditional thoughts, comparing recent ideas proposed by China — such as the Global Civilization Initiative — with ancient Chinese wisdom "harmony in diversity" professed by Confucius.

"The story of China's development is not simply about the modernization of a state, but about how an ancient civilization thrives in the modern world," El-Saeed said. His group has been dedicated to translating and introducing Chinese culture to the Arabic world.

Relevant in new era

Regarding culture and literature, James Trapp, a British Sinologist and translator of classical Chinese literature, said reading classical Chinese and history is very relevant in the new era.

"China's 5,000 years of culture and history is not a myth; it's a real and active part in China," Trapp said. "Even many Chinese don't realize how widespread the classical culture is in their contemporary life ... So many quotations and references to classical literature and ancient history (are) just in their daily language."

Another attraction was the literary talk "History and Travel: New Writing from China", featuring Chinese writer and publisher Xu Zhiyuan in conversation with British translator Nicky Harman, who focuses on Chinese contemporary fiction.

"A new generation of Chinese writers is emerging, and they are more globalized and travel widely," Xu said.

Bi Haibo, minister counselor for press and public affairs of the Chinese embassy in London, said he hopes publishing institutions can further strengthen exchanges and cooperation to enable more outstanding works to cross linguistic and cultural boundaries and build bridges of understanding and communication between readers in the East and West.