Mapping China: Literature - Book Fairs, Festivals and Literary Events

Book Fairs and Festivals

• The Beijing International Book Fair, or BIBF, is currently one of the largest book copyright trading fairs in the world. It is held yearly in the last week of August. Click here for information.
  
  In 2011 The Netherlands acted as the ‘country of honor’, which was marked by an extensive literary programme with Dutch and Chinese writers, organized by the Dutch Foundation for Literature. Dutch fiction, non-fiction and children’s literature were highlighted both at the fair ground and on various locations in the city of Beijing. See an overview in Dutch and Chinese/English.
• The yearly Shanghai Book Fair, held in mid-August, is a literary festival aimed at (Chinese) readers, with performances and book signings.
• Somewhat smaller in scale are the Hong Kong Book Fair, held in July, and the Taipei International Book Exhibition (Taiwan), held in February, both are internationally oriented.
•  A recent festival is the South China International Literary Festival, held yearly in August in Guangzhou. In 2014, the Netherlands was the host country, marked by the participation of four writers: novelist Kader Abdolah, sociologist Abram de Swaan, biologist Jelle Reumer, and philosopher Jos de Mul, who performed in front of large crowds of avid readers. Furthermore, the festival organized an International Publishing Summit, aimed at experts’ exchange in cross-cultural publishing. See this report in Dutch. The festival website is in Chinese.
• An international festival is the Bookworm Literary Festival in March, which brings together Chinese and foreign authors. The Bookworm is a lively English language bookstore in Beijing. See: www.beijingbookworm.com and www.bookwormfestival.com.
• A similar festival is the Shanghai International Literary Festival, organized by M On the Bund, a restaurant group.
• A third international festival is the Hong Kong Literary Festival, held annually in Autumn.
• In 2010, the Dutch Foundation for Literature organized a presentation of Dutch literature at the Shanghai World Expo, called ‘Café Amsterdam’. Participants were Cees Nooteboom, Margriet de Moor, and Anna Enquist, who engaged in lively conversations with renowned Chinese writers Bi Feiyu, Wang Anyi, and Chen Cun. Click here for information.

Writer in Residency Programmes

Chinese residencies welcoming foreign writers are:

• the Shanghai Writing Program, by the Shanghai Writer’s Association
• the M Literary Residency in Shanghai, by M Restaurants
• the Dutch-run Chinese European Art Center in Xiamen

(See more on Artist in Residence programs in China on www.transartists.org and www.chinaresidencies.com)

China-related Literary Events in The Netherlands

• In 2011, writer Su Tong was a guest at the Amsterdam Writer’s Residency, while writress Mian Mian stayed at Anne Frank’s former residency in the framework of Amsterdam Vluchtstad. See this video from Academic-Cultural Center SPUI25, which organized a public event.
• In 2012, writer Ye Fu was a guest of Amsterdam Vluchtstad.
• In 2013, writer Bi Feiyu visited the Netherlands to take part in a translation workshop and a literary evening organized by the Confucius Institute.
• In 2014, poet Hu Xudong read at Poetry International, see video.
• In June 2015, poet Guo Jinniu read at Poetry International, see video.

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