英语新闻丨Hong Kong Book Fair spotlights Beijing's literary treasures

People watch a Peking Opera performance by Zheng Xiao during the launch ceremony for Beijing theme city promotion activities at the 34th Hong Kong Book Fair at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on July 17, 2024.

2024年7月17日，第34届香港书展在香港会议展览中心开幕，北京首次作为主题城市参展。书展上，观众们还能欣赏北京京剧院国家一级演员、梅派传人、著名京剧表演艺术家梅葆玖入室弟子郑潇女士表演京剧《贵妃醉酒》。

This year's Hong Kong Book Fair, which has made Beijing the theme city for the first time, is showcasing nearly 10,000 high-quality books from the Chinese mainland through cultural communication activities, offering an opportunity for readers to explore the country's rich literature, culture and history.

北京作为今年的主题城市首次参加香港书展，通过文化传播展示近万本来自中国大陆的优质图书，为读者提供探索中国丰富文学、文化和历史的机会。

With the theme "Film and Television Literature", the 34th Hong Kong Book Fair opened on Wednesday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and will close on Tuesday. It will feature over 600 seminars and cultural activities, and has attracted 760 exhibitors.

第34届香港书展以“京港携手筑梦·书香共绘华章”为主题，7月17日正式开幕，将持续至7月23日，将举办600多场研讨会和文化活动，展览总计吸引约760家展商参与。

With Beijing as the theme city, this year's mainland pavilion has set out a dedicated area exhibiting the capital's publishing achievements and development accomplishments in recent years.

今年书展继续设置中国内地展馆，并首度以北京作为主题城市，展示北京近年来的出版和发展成就。

The Beijing exhibition area spans about 150 square meters. In addition to showcasing nearly 3,000 books published by Beijing agencies, it features more than 100 cultural and creative products that highlight both Beijing and traditional Chinese culture. Visitors also have the opportunity to appreciate ancient book restoration techniques, which have been listed as national intangible cultural heritage.

北京展馆面积约150平方米，除汇集北京地区出版机构近三年出版的新书和畅销书等近3000册外，同时集中展示展销具有京味文化和中华优秀传统文化特色的文创产品，并设有国家级非物质文化遗产古籍修复技艺展示区。

Twelve cultural organizations from Beijing, including Beijing Publishing Group, are attending the fair, and distinguished cultural scholars and writers from Beijing and Hong Kong have been invited to engage with readers.

本届香港书展携12家北京地区出版文化单位集体亮相中国内地馆。

"It feels like revisiting an old friend," said Wang Heling, a representative from Beijing Publishing Group. She said that unlike previous years, when each publisher was responsible for its own books, this time there was a remarkable sense of unity among Beijing publishers.

北京出版集团主题分公司总经理王曷灵表示：“感觉就像重逢一位老友。”与往年每个出版机构都负责自己的书籍不同，这次北京各大出版机构之间有一种团结的感觉。

Wang said her team had started to prepare for the event in April, adding that the exhibited books underwent several rounds of screening to ensure they can reflect the characteristics of Beijing. She expressed the hope that the event will help to deepen cultural exchanges between Beijing and Hong Kong.

她的团队从4月份就开始为这次活动做准备，展出的书籍经过了几轮筛选，确保能够反映北京特色。王曷灵表示，希望此次活动能深化北京与香港的文化交流。

Lu Peizhao, editor-in-chief at Guangxi Publishing Media Group, said his team had participated in several Hong Kong Book Fairs.

广西出版传媒集团副总编辑卢培钊表示，他的团队参加了几次香港书展。

He said his team had prepared about 700 books and cultural and creative products for this year's fair, including many books with traditional culture themes.

今年他们团队为香港书展准备了约700本图书和文创产品，其中包括许多以传统文化为主题的书籍。

"We can feel the passion from Hong Kong residents," Lu said. "Compared to book fairs on the mainland, I think the Hong Kong Book Fair garners a higher level of social attention and public participation."

卢培钊表示：“我们能感受到香港市民的热情，与内地的书展相比，我认为香港书展吸引了更多的社会关注和公众参与。”

Zheng Xiao, from Beijing's Jingju Theater Company, attended the fair for the first time and was invited to give a short performance.

北京京剧院国家一级演员、梅派传人、著名京剧表演艺术家梅葆玖入室弟子郑潇女士受邀参加此次香港书展，并表演了京剧《贵妃醉酒》。

She said it allowed her to feel the enthusiasm from Hong Kong residents, and said she wanted to deepen Hong Kong residents' understanding of traditional Chinese culture, particularly the younger generation.

她表示感受到了香港居民的热情，希望能够加深香港市民，尤其是年轻一代，对中国传统文化的理解。

The mainland exhibition area has set up a thematic exhibition of books, with a focus on the display and sale of works by President Xi Jinping and related study materials, such as the first two volumes of Selected Readings from the Works of Xi Jinping, and the four volumes of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China.

内地展馆设立图书展示展销区，重点展示习近平主席著作及相关学习资料，如《习近平著作选读》前二卷、《习近平谈治国理政》全四卷等。

It also features books that introduce the practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics, as well as ancient classics and cultural series that encapsulate the fundamental values of traditional Chinese culture.

此外，馆内还收录了介绍中国特色社会主义实践的书籍，以及概括了中国传统文化基本价值的古代经典和文化丛书。

In line with its film and TV literature theme, related literary works from the mainland are also on sale, including White Deer Plain, Blossoms Shanghai and To the Wonder.

与影视文学主题相呼应，内地相关文学作品也在发售中，包括《白鹿原》、《繁花》和《我的阿勒泰》。

More than 30 original animation books from the mainland, such as Hello and Forbidden City, are also appearing for the first time at the thematic exhibition.

《你好呀！故宫》等30余本内地原创动画书籍也首次亮相此次书展。

Readers showed great interest in mainland books. Louis Tsang, a 76-year-old attendee, said he decided to set aside at least half a day to explore the mainland exhibition area this year, as he believed that the books were rich in traditional Chinese culture.

不少香港市民对大陆书籍表现出极大的兴趣。76岁的香港市民Louis表示，由于今年书展的书籍包含浓厚的中国传统文化，他决定至少留出半天时间参观内地展馆。

Tsang said he appreciated the displays at the mainland pavilion, including the intangible cultural heritage experience, but said the provision of more explanations would enhance the experience, as it would allow visitors to gain a deeper understanding of the connotations behind the exhibits.

他赞扬内地馆的展览还有非物质文化遗产的新奇体验，如果能够提供展览解说，参展者们也能更深入地了解展品背后的内涵。

Accountant Irene Tse said she has attended the book fair for 27 years. She often takes a day off on the first day of the fair to see the exhibition, as it's usually less crowded.

香港会计Irene表示，她参加书展已有27年了。她通常在开展的第一天请假去书展，这个时间书展的人流量较小。

Tse said she had been eager to explore the Beijing exhibition area and expressed keen interest in mainland books, especially those about culture and history. She said texts written in vernacular and literary Chinese are more expressive than those in Cantonese.

Irene表示她热衷于探索北京展馆，并对以文化和历史为主题的内地书籍表现出浓厚的兴趣。用白话和简体中文写书比粤语更具表现力。

Tse said she had also noticed that the books showcased in the mainland pavilion are of higher quality than before.

她还注意到内地展馆的书籍质量较以往来说更高了。

Book fair

n.书展

Peking Opera

n.京剧

White Deer Plain

n.《白鹿原》

Blossoms Shanghai

n.《繁花》

To the Wonder

n.《我的阿勒泰》

Hello and Forbidden City

n.《你好呀！故宫》