Feature: China's presence "fantastic, huge" at major U.S. book expo

"The Chinese presence at the expo is fantastic and huge, it's amazing," Brian Wray, a writer in New York City, told Xinhua Thursday during the BookExpo America (BEA) 2015 being held here from May 27 to May 29.

"It's very impressive. The Chinese books are very, very interesting," he said. "This is my first day here, so I'm looking forward to getting to know more Chinese writers and their books."

Wray's comment is echoed by many present at the prestigious annual expo, which for the first time invited China as the guest of honor for the BEA Global Market Forum, themed "Experience the Future Through China."

This year, China boasts the largest booth with a total exhibition area of 2,342 square meters, consisting of three zones for the Chinese publishing community, Chinese culture and book translation market.

The exhibition features a wide range of Chinese books totaling about 10,000. Among them, 1,415 titles were published outside of China.

Several of the largest Chinese publishing corporations, including Phoenix Publishing and Media Company, China Publishing Group, and China Education and Media Group are showcasing some of their latest books.

Major service organizations such as China National Publishing Import and Export Company are also participants, facilitating a professional exchange between Chinese publishers, distributors, libraries and educational institutions and their international counterparts.

Kevin Donahue is one of the few Americans who has shown up early at China's information desk, looking around for some introduction materials.

As the co-founder of Epic Company, a subscription book service for children in the United States, Donahue said he knows there are a lot of good books in China, and he's excited to seize this opportunity to learn more about the Chinese market.

"I want to get to know who the Chinese publishers are and talk to them about bringing their books into our service, and also make our services available to China," he said.

Professional discussions are also being held to explore the dynamic growth in Chinese publishing at the three-day expo.

The forum highlights the expanding international ambitions of the Chinese publishing and media industry, a comparison of digital developments in American and Chinese publishing, recent trends and success stories in literary translation as well as educational publishing and reading promotion.

Michael Metzler, an American exhibitor, said he has listened to some of the Chinese speakers on digital publishing rights. "It's very exciting to see the growth of digital publishing in China."

Besides publishing, Chinese culture has also drawn a considerable number of visitors at the expo, with exhibitions on ancient Chinese printing, publishing and contemporary Chinese art on display.

One of the exhibitions introduces the entire history of publishing and printing in ancient China, covering the emergence of Chinese characters, early publishing, the invention of printing skills, etc.

Gao Wenying, senior technician with China Publishing Group, said she and her colleagues were teaching expo visitors how to reproduce famous Chinese paintings with an aim to promote traditional Chinese fine arts and culture.

"The technique of woodblock printing originates from the traditional Chinese woodcut printing, which aims to reproduce famous paintings and calligraphy works by renowned artists," she said when trying to help Metzler learn how to reproduce a painting.

"It's a lovely experience of Chinese culture," Metzler said. "I've learned something about the art and the beauty of Chinese culture and printing. When you understand a little about the art of a country, you understand something about the country," he said.

As part of the BEA's Global Market Forum initiative, the guest of honor program also showcases more than 20 of China's best-known poets and authors in more than a dozen of events at the BEA and around New York City.

From poetry readings, to literary exchanges with New York writers, to screenings of films adapted from Chinese fiction, these events offer direct exposure to the best of China's literary culture. Endi