The Frankfurt Book Fair 2002 formally got underway on October 9 in
Germany, attracting 6,375 exhibitors from 110 countries. Of them
178 are from China.
As
the Guest of Honour for 2002, Lithuania won't be displaying
cultural relics as did Greece the year before, but instead
introduces a new central theme Bridges for a World Divided. The new
theme aims to open up debate on issues of equality and justice
within the context of globalization and is drawing large audiences.
About 1,500 different books about Lithuania, published by either
domestically or by other countries, have been collected from around
the world and displayed here in Frankfurt. The Lithuanians are
focusing on the country's literature, bringing with them around 30
authors to Germany.
A
German publisher centring mainly on the Bible-related business
confirmed his happiness by stating that his company has a extra
room and additional participating personnel with more books and CDs
to display than ever before.
Upon entering Hall No. 8, where the English and American press are
located, one is surrounded by the busy atmosphere stemming from the
talk of copyright and trade. With the United States still under the
shadows of the September 11 attacks, Hall No. 8 is the only hall to
conduct security checks, but people continue to swarm in. This is
in stark contrast to last year's event when people were unwilling
to line up and undergo intrusive examination procedures. Large
publishers such as the Oxford University Press and Dolphines are
all present at this year's affair.
China has sent out an exhibition team of 303 people from 178
publishing and bookselling houses, but didn't manage achieve the
goals they set themselves for the first day. However, this result
does nothing to disguise the fact that the Chinese publishing
industry has been undergoing rapid expansion in recent years. More
and more foreign readers continue to take an interest in Chinese
publications closely reflecting the country's steady economic
growth.
In
fact, the overall number of exhibitors at the book fair has
decreased since last year. Compared with last year about four
percent fewer companies have made their way to Frankfurt for this
year's event. Of all the exhibitors, 2,128 are from Germany, down
from 2,474 last year, according Volker Neumann, director of the
Frankfurt Book Fair.
Neumann attributed this to the general economic outlook for the
last two years. "The media industry as a whole is going through
difficult times. This is true for book publishers as well." he
said. A number of publishing companies and established bookshops
have gone out of business.
On
examining reasons for the declining number of German exhibitors,
Neumann pointed to structural factors. For example in the art
section, Germany has focused on art books and book art, weakening
the role gallery exhibitors may have played in the book fair. Also,
a downturn in electronic media has been an ongoing trend for
several years now. The publishers of electronic media,
predominantly traditional publishing companies, have tended to
integrate these exhibits with their main exhibition presentations
at the fair.
(china.org.cn by staff reporter Li Jinhui October 10, 2002)