The 2026 Southern China Book Fair opened at the China Import and Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou on August 27, strategically timed to align with the upcoming APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, which will be held in Shenzhen later this year.
Leveraging the APEC theme, this year's fair aims to establish a brand-new platform for Asia-Pacific publishing exchange and cross-cultural dialogue.
The main venue features a dedicated APEC Culture Hall, integrating exhibitions, interactive experiences and a market bazaar. The hall brings together five literary themes—APEC, overseas Chinese literature, Russian, American-Canadian and Central and South American—and showcases more than 300 classic titles from around the world.
This year, Thailand participates as the Guest-of-Honour country, with a dedicated pavilion. The fair also features 12 internationally themed pavilions covering Asia, Europe, Latin America, Africa and other regions, along with an immersive "international bookstore" zone.
The fair brings together exhibition resources from over 30 countries and regions, and has invited consuls general and diplomatic envoys from more than 20 countries, including Thailand, Singapore, Greece and Poland, to engage deeply in cultural and publishing exchanges.
In terms of content and programming, the fair presents nearly 30,000 overseas original editions. It has invited more than 170 renowned domestic and international writers, including Polish science fiction master Rafał Kosik, Irish novelist Lucy Caldwell and Kenyan author Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, to hold special sharing sessions. A dialogue on Chinese and foreign science fiction featuring Chinese sci-fi writer Chen Qiufan is also scheduled.
For the first time, the fair hosts an International Copyright Exchange Conference, bringing together high-quality publishing houses from home and abroad for targeted business matching.
The fair occupies approximately 40,000 square meters of exhibition space, with 31 thematic pavilions, and brings together more than 300 publishing institutions from both China and overseas, displaying over 500,000 titles of publications and cultural creative products. Across Guangdong Province, 437 branch venues have been set up, covering a total area of 1.203 million square meters, with 1,579 supporting offline reading activities. The main venue hosts over 170 celebrated figures and schedules more than 280 cultural events.
In addition to the APEC thematic zone, the Guest of Honour pavilion of Thailand focuses on three core threads—overseas Chinese cultural heritage, literary exchange and multicultural diversity. It features a film-prop exhibition of Dear You, which recreates the struggles of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, alongside more than 50 monographs on overseas Chinese studies.
As a major tribute to the APEC "China Year", a full-length reportage work on Guangdong's foreign trade, written by the renowned writer He Jianming, has also made its debut at this book fair.
The 2026 Southern China Book Fair will run until August 31. This cultural event not only provides a window for domestic and international readers to appreciate diverse cultures, but also serves as an important platform for international publishing exchange and cooperation.
Text | South reporter Huang Xinyi, Sun Lulu (intern)
Photos | Dai Bosi
