Literary event writes new story

Over five days, the 31st Beijing International Book Fair drew readers, writers, translators, and publishers from around the globe — 110 countries and regions — each person carrying their stories. Some came to discover, some to share. And many came simply to listen — to voices rising from across time and borders, stitched together by ink and paper.

The fair was a feast of over 220,000 titles, but even more vivid were the stories exchanged. In quiet corners, hands reached out to clinch publishing deals — 2,800 of them — opening doors for Chinese voices to travel the world. Nearly 70 percent involved outbound licensing, according to official statistics.

For example, Beijing Publishing Group signed copyright agreements with publishers from Malaysia, the Guest of Honor for this year's BIBF, including books about Chinese calligraphy, China's reform and opening-up and Peking Opera. The Malaysian translations of Chinese writer Xu Zechen's Beishang (Northward) and Chinese modernist painter Xu Beihong's book on Chinese ink painting were also launched at the book fair.

In addition, My Altay, Chinese writer Li Juan's representative work, has drawn significant international interest for its focus on women's growth and friendship. According to Zhang Yi, head of Guangzhou-based Huacheng Press, the publisher of the book, the story's female perspective and nuanced emotional portrayal have resonated strongly with the global copyright market. The book is also set to be released in Malaysia.

Another book, which uses augmented reality technology to bring to life the gods, immortals, and monsters from Journey to the West, will soon be translated and released in Arabic-speaking countries. The book not only illustrates these legendary characters but also shares related biological knowledge in an engaging way. It is a sequel of an earlier volume on mythical creatures from The Classic of Mountains and Seas, which has already been translated into Arabic, Turkish, and Thai.

The Stories of the Chinese Gnomon by Sun Xiaochun, Yang Liu, and Lin Zhengxin will be translated into English and published by Springer Nature.

The application of artificial intelligence in the publishing process is becoming increasingly widespread. From initial automated proofreading and formatting adjustments to the rapid development of AI-generated content today, it brings convenience to editorial work. Discussions on AI's influence on publishing and writing were one of the focuses of the book fair.