The 27th Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) kicked off in Beijing on Sept 26 both online and offline, which included 15 venues in 10 cities, including Shanghai and Nanjing.

The book fair in Nanjing was held at the 24-hour Cloud Bookstore operated by Jiangsu-based publishing giant Phoenix Publishing and Media Group (PPMG). It was attended by 17 publishing houses and showcased more than 3,000 kinds of books, periodicals, and digital products.

I. Director of Publicity Department of the CPC listens to report on the development of the publishing industry in Jiangsu online

Huang Kunming, director of the Publicity Department of the CPC, listened to a report from Jiao Jianjun, deputy director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, on the reform and development of the publishing industry in Jiangsu via live video at the opening day of the 27th BIBF.

Jiangsu province has been focusing on a "Going Global" strategy for its publishing industry, and its book copyright exports have maintained been increasing rapidly since 2016.

PPMG has established cooperative relations with cultural institutions from 62 countries and exported 1,529 non-Chinese copyrights since 2016, more than double the figures from 2011 to 2015.

Jiao specifically introduced A Century of Jiangcun Village published by Jiangsu People's Publishing Ltd, a subsidiary of PPMG, which depicts the arduous struggle for a well-off life by generations of residents in Kai Xian Gong village , or Jiangcun.

II. PPMG shines at the 27th BIBF

i. Organizing a themed book exhibition to showcase roughly 100 books published and distributed by Jiangsu publishing houses at home and abroad;

ii. Setting up an exhibition area to showcase high-quality books published by Phoenix Media over the past year;

iii. Organizing Theme Day activities for the first time

1) BIBF Phoenix Day of COVID-19 Books on Sept 26

PPMG held the launch ceremony for the English version of 71 Days in Wuhan, which was published in both physical and digital forms; a publishing forum for Chinese stories with international expression for the "big-eyes heartwarming" series; and a discussion among international dignitaries about the spread of anti-pandemic books in countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

PPMG also held a photo exhibition about 71 Days in Wuhan and an exhibition for COVID-19 books published by Phoenix Media on the same day.

2) BIBF Phoenix Day of Canal Books on Sept 27

PPMG organized a global online preview of the English version of the Grand Canal, an online launch ceremony for the English and Arabic versions of the Grand Canal, and a Workshop of Comparative Studies on World Canals & BIBF Virtual Meeting for Authors of Phoenix Series on World Canals.

PPMG also held a canal-themed picture exhibition and an exhibition for canal books published by Phoenix Media on the same day.

3) Exchange meeting on publishing

On Sept 30, PPMG and a publishing house in Vietnam explored the role of publishing in socialist modernization.

Xu Hai, editor-in-chief of Phoenix Media, shared the reform challenges encountered by Jiangsu People's Publishing Ltd and gave his ideas on how to deal with these challenges.

The Vietnamese publishing house decided to translate four kinds of books owned by PPMG and publish the Vietnamese versions.

iv. 27th BIBF in Nanjing attended by high-level overseas participants online

The 27th BIBF in Nanjing features esteemed overseas participants, including David Edwards-May, president of Inland Waterways International (IWI), David Ballinger, former president of IWI, director of the president office of Kyrgyzstan, former president of Britain's Conservative Party, ambassador of Kazakhstan to China, ambassador of Armenia to China, assistant to the president of Armenia, Cuba's deputy minister of culture, and central press secretary of Pakistan's Movement for Justice Party.

International students at Nanjing University and Nanjing Normal University from countries including Thailand, Pakistan, Vietnam, and Peru were invited to attend the book fair.

v. Organizing online meeting for canal experts spanning four time zones for the first time

PPMG organized a Workshop of Comparative Studies on World Canals & BIBF Virtual Meeting for Authors of Phoenix Series on World Canals to invite international canal experts from France, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US), Canada, Belgium, and China to discuss the role of canals throughout the history of human civilization, their influence on society and culture, and the features of canals in different countries.

International canal experts will be invited to participate in the creation of the series, which will be written in English and published in English and Chinese simultaneously.

The first book in the series will focus on the Great Canal in China, Canal du Midi in France, Grand Union Canal in the UK, Erie Canal in the US, Rideau Canal in Canada, Canal du Center in Belgium, as well as canals in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

vi. New media group of PPMG's Modern Express in charge of livestreaming the 27th BIBF in Nanjing for the first time

III. Nanjing venue boasts various activities and strong results in copyright trading

During the book fair, PPMG held the online signing ceremony for the copyright export of the "China Competitiveness" book series, the launch ceremony of "Chinese Wallbook" in Nepali, and the signing ceremony for the copyright export of Nanjing the Biography in Russian, Vietnamese, Thai, Malay, and English.

The big-eyes heartwarming series (six books), a series of picture books about the fight against COVID-19 originally published by Phoenix Juvenile and Children's Publishing, were published in 15 languages in 19 countries.

PPMG conducted 60 online copyright trade negotiations with renowned publishing groups and copyright agents from countries including Egypt, Malaysia, Turkey, Japan, and New Zealand and secured 125 copyright export agreements and intentions in non-Chinese speaking countries.

IV. Nanjing venue expands the effect of international communication

PPMG recorded all online and offline activities and uploaded 15 videos to the official website of BIBF, which can be viewed by roughly 1,400 exhibitors from 97 countries and regions at the 27th BIBF and is expanding the influence of PPMG in other countries.

PPMG also offered services including online promotion and negotiation via the official website of BIBF and the mobile application.