60,000 books for children at November fair

The 2020 China Shanghai International Children's Book Fair at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center from November 13 to 15 will feature more than 350 publishers and related firms from 21 countries and regions taking part online or offline.

Over 30 percent will be from overseas, including the UK, the US, Russia, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Belgium and Australia.

Organizations such as The Publishers Association UK, Bureau International de l'Edition Francaise, Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea, Dutch Foundation for Literature, Norwegian Literature Abroad and Finnish Literature Exchange, will have booths, along with the Consulate General of Canada Shanghai and ASEAN-China Centre.

"Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is expected that there will be fewer overseas exhibitors visiting than before," said Xu Jiong, head of Shanghai’s press and publication administration. "Some large overseas publishers have their own branches in China and they will send their Chinese representatives."

Xu said strict epidemic prevention and control measures would be in place for anyone flying directly from overseas to China. But the number of these people is set to be very limited.

For publishers unable to travel to China, Xu said samples of their books will be brought to the fair and they would be helped to make deals online.

This fair will feature more than 60,000 of the latest books from children’s, with about a third of them from overseas. 

Real-name registration is required for visitors, exhibitors and staff. The number of people inside the book fair will be controlled and visitors advised to maintain a distance from each other.

Everyone inside the venue will have to wear a mask and medical supplies will be available in the venue, with regular sterilization carried out.

Italian Excellence, an exhibition of 63 illustrations celebrating the centenary of Gianni Rodari, one of Italy’s most revered writers, will take place at the fair.

It will feature some of the artists who have illustrated Rodari’s work over the past 50 years. It will give an overview of the work of 21 Italian illustrators, starting with towering figures such as Emanuele Luzzati and Bruno Munari through to internationally renowned contemporary artists Alessandro Sanna, Beatrice Alemagna, Valerio Vidali and Gaia Stella.

At the center of the book fair will be a pop-up bookstore created by the fair and the Light Space Xinhua Bookstore, showing selected domestic and foreign children's books.