Chinese publishers sign more than 200 agreements at this year’s book fair
Nineteen-year-old Algerian Issam Chouiref studied Mandarin for a month before he came to the Chinese publishers’ booths at the 23rd Algiers International Book Fair, which ran from late October to mid-November.
He wanted to volunteer.
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Children’s books at the China booth draw visitors during the 23rd Algiers International Book Fair. Photos Provided to China Daily |
China, with its delegation of more than 100 publishing professionals and writers, along with 2,500 book titles, it was the country of honor at the fair. It was the first publishing exchange between Algeria and China and has remained the biggest.
“I came to say ‘Welcome, Chinese friends, to Algeria’. We’re old friends, and I’d like to see the good relationship between us kept well so that when the Chinese friends go home, they’ll remember there was an Algerian who helped them,” Chouiref told China Daily.
A fan of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, Chouiref studies foreign languages by himself and is an apprentice in a foreign-trade business. He sometimes does part-time translation and teaching. His Chinese name, Huang Jinlong, means “golden dragon”.
Chouiref came to the booths during the fair and, without asking for payment, worked as a translator, sales assistant and overall bridge between two cultures.
With his help, China Intercontinental Press sold about 180 books in French on Oct 29, the first day of the fair, and 200 more in Arabic later.
“He’s now like my younger brother, even though we just met for a couple of days,” says Jiang Shan, who works for China Intercontinental Press.
“I’m motivated to learn more about the Chinese language and culture,” Chouiref says, adding that he is trying to help build relations between Algeria and China.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Algeria – where writer and philosopher Albert Camus was born and art masters Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet lived – was one of the countries that led the proposal to restore China’s rights in the United Nations in the 1970s. China was the first non-Arabic country to recognize the Algerian provisional government in 1958 and this year invited Algeria to join the Belt and Road Initiative.
Chinese publishers brought books, mostly in Arabic, French or English, to the pearl of the southern Mediterranean coast, Algiers. The city was packed with visitors at the exhibition center where the literary and cultural events were held, as well as at the National Library where a photo exhibition, Beautiful China, was held.
Some visitors came to hobnob with famous writers, including Nobel laureate Mo Yan. Some just came for any interesting Chinese element. Many took photos with members of the Chinese delegation, and some asked for their names to be handwritten in Chinese characters. The use of chopsticks was shown to a few more.
This year’s fair saw a record 2 million visitors, according to organizers. More than 1,000 publishing houses from 47 countries and regions participated.
Chinese publishers signed 207 agreements on copyright cooperation with others at the fair, mainly on traditional culture, children’s books, language learning and books about China’s development.
Among the titles in focus was Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, and its translated versions in Arabic, French and English. The book has two volumes. The first had a global circulation of 6 million copies; the second, which is a collection of Xi’s speeches, notes and talks from August 2014 to September 2017, grouped in 17 major topics, reached 13 million copies worldwide.
Its publisher, Foreign Languages Press, held readers’ seminars in Spain and Portugal.
Bachar Chebaro, secretary-general of the Arabic Publishers’ Association, which has published 30 Chinese titles, says the Belt and Road Initiative has enriched the relationship between China and Arab countries.
“The book shows China’s open attitude about communicating better with international society and targets some of the misunderstandings,” Chebaro says. “I’m impressed by the idea of always putting people’s interests first.”
Egyptian publisher Ahmed Elsaid says the world is interested in learning more about China as the country’s importance grows. “As you learn more, you’ll love its culture more,” he said.
The Chinese way of thinking, tradition and culture are inducing readers to dig deeper, said Elsaid, who has found himself busy on the international book fair circuit in recent years.
“That means my team and I are getting more recognition. I started out trying to offer Arabic readers more choices in Chinese titles. Now I’m exerting myself to present China and its charm through more books,” he says.
Under the translation agreements between China and some Arab countries reached during Algiers fairs over the years, 130 titles have been selected as representative of the projects.
Liang Yanshun, a senior official of the publicity department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said at the China-Arab Publishing Culture Forum during the fair that the two countries have been supporting each other and have formed friendships in the process.
Liang said many stories about links between the two peoples are being told through books.
China had published 17 titles by Algerian authors, and Algeria had published 23 Chinese titles before this year’s book fair, he said.
Algeria Press Service correspondent Nour Cherkit said: “Today, with the economic relations between China and Algeria, things are getting better and better. We are seeing translations of works by great Chinese authors, and there is more exchange between our two countries. The book fair is a beautiful bridge of exchanges.”
Algerian publishers say they take China as an important partner, and they respect China for being an ancient civilization like the Arabic civilization.
Assia Moussei, the founder of Algerian El-Ikhtilef (meaning “difference”) Publishing, is also a medical doctor.
“We’re attracted to Chinese history and its present-day stories, experiences and culture,” Moussei says.
At first she thought the Algerians’ interest was in Western stories and books. Later, after market tests, she found her readers were eager to know about what’s happening in China.
The Arab world is happy to see China’s rise, she says.
Moussei says she initially believed interest was limited to literature. Then she discovered that it extended to politics, economics, society, history, culture and children’s books.
Her company has released books on China’s anti-corruption campaigns and an encyclopedia of history.
Her views are shared by Esraa Abdel Sayed Hassan, director of the Chinese-language department at Ain Shams University in Cairo.
Hassan has been learning, teaching and translating Chinese for 30 years.
“The Arabic readers’ interests are wide, and we yet have more to discover and explore about China,” Hassan says, adding that she just finished working on the Arabic version of an ancient classic on science and technology by Song Yingxing of the 17th century, and the Fifteen Lectures on Chinese History.
As for the Chinese side, Beijing Publishing Group has cooperated with Arabic publishers since 2007. A total of 100 titles were sold, including novels, essays and children’s books.
Huang Jian, president of Jieli Publishing House, the organizer of a publishing forum on children’s books during the fair, says he sees promising prospects for the children’s book market there.
“Arabic readers tend not to reject Chinese content and thinking because it strengthens harmony and peace,” Huang says.
Take Algeria, for example, he says, where 32 percent of its total population is younger than age 15 and 64 percent are under 30.
Hans Anderson Award winner Cao Wenxuan brought some of his key works in Arabic to the fair. Writer Zhao Lihong released a new book about dealing with fear, inspired by his son’s notes, to local readers.
Children’s works were the highlights of the fair. Titles included Moon Stage, Sister Wanda Can Help and Clumsy Wolf.
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The book fair also features a photo exhibition called “beautiful China”. |
(China Daily European Weekly 12/14/2018 page22)