Moscow book fair buoys visitors again

The 29th Moscow International Book Fair, one of the most important events on the global publishers' calendar, was on Thursday visited by more book lovers from across Russia at Moscow's All-Union Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy.

The book fair is the oldest and largest of its kind in Russia. Some 500 publishers from more than 30 countries including China take part this year, with Greece invited as the guest of honor.

In addition to book and copyright trade as well as book sales sometimes at discounted prices, related cultural programs held during the fair have also entertained and educated visitors.

This year's arrangements at the show and on sidelines include book recommendations, author meetings, lectures and workshops as well as a special program for children.

The annual book festival brings together figures of modern literature, music, contemporary art and education.

Sergei Naryshkin, chairman of the Russian State Duma, said at the opening ceremony on Wednesday that the Moscow book fair has always been a platform for authors, readers and publishers. It often inspires authors and publishers with sparkling ideas for literary works.

At the Chinese stand, more than 1,000 copies of books on display cover Chinese classics, contemporary novels, children literature, dictionaries, textbooks for the Chinese language study and books on political and economy issues, among others.

Books on the list of the Sino-Russian program of translating each other's literary works, put in prominent positions at the stand, have attracted many Russian visitors. Popular are also books on China's silk and porcelain.

The Russian version of the Chinese classical drama "The Peony Pavilion", a touching love story written by famous playwright Tang Xianzu (1550-1616) in the Ming Dynasty at the end of the 16th century, is planned to debut during the show to last through Sept. 11.

This highlights the achievements made in the expanding cooperation between Chinese and Russian publishers over past years, according to Li Yue, deputy director of expo center, of the China Publications Import and Export (Group) Corporation (CNPIEC).

While bringing to Moscow a variety of fine Chinese books, China's state-run publisher CNPIEC is also expected to host special activities for Russian lovers of Chinese culture. Endi