- Annual fair returns on July 17, and tickets will also allow entry to the Sports and Leisure Expo and the World of Snacks, which will be held in the same week
The Hong Kong Book Fair is turning a new page and pushing to draw in tourists from the Greater Bay Area. Photo: Yik Yeung-manThe organiser of Hong Kong’s annual book fair says they are looking to attract more visitors from the Greater Bay Area during a big week of conventions, as the city continues to grapple with a growing trend of local shoppers heading across the border to spend their money.
This year’s seven-day Hong Kong Book Fair will launch on July 17 and run under the title of “Reading the World: Storytelling from Page to Screen”.
Book fair tickets will go for HK$30 (US$3.84) each. The tickets will also cover the Sports and Leisure Expo and the World of Snacks, which are being held at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai in the same week. The three events will host about 760 exhibitors.
“We will play a part in it because we have already been listed as one of the mega events in the government’s events calendar,” Hong Kong Trade Development Council deputy director Sophia Chong Suk-fan said on Tuesday.
“Combing two other concurrent events under just one ticket is quite attractive for all the family and getting those from the Greater Bay Area and Southeast Asia to come to Hong Kong.”
The bay area is an emerging economic zone that brings together Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland Chinese cities, with a combined population of 86 million.
The council, which organises the book fair, said that it planned to hold roadshows in Shenzhen and Guangzhou early next month to help promote the event.
5 books for summer: soak up some literature during your holiday
“We need to take the initiative because the bay area has now been integrated. So we also need to attract more residents there to come to Hong Kong, instead of just us going up there,” Chong said.
“We have the MTR’s Exhibition Centre and Wan Chai stations, both provide direct connections to our northern district and even to Shenzhen, making it very convenient.”
The council’s deputy director said it was making every effort to promote Hong Kong and the local publishing industry, while also attracting everyone to come and enjoy a “family-oriented activity” amid the hot summer.
Last year’s book fair recorded 990,000 attendees, with tourists accounting for 10 per cent of the figure.
The coming event will host more than 600 seminars and cultural activities featuring the works of writers and movie directors such as Wong Kar-wai, Tsui Hark and Ann Hui On-wah.
At one seminar, City of Darkness author Yuyi will share his creative journey and how his novel was adapted into the hit blockbuster Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In and a comic.
The event will also use artificial intelligence software to create scenes from classic movies for visitors to use as photo backdrops, with options including In the Mood for Love, Infernal Affairs, Kung Fu Hustle and Japanese animation Spirited Away.
The book fair will also be the first since the domestic national security legislation was enacted in March.
Chong stopped short of whether anyone had been banned from taking part or if any books were prohibited from being sold there.
“As the organiser, we also remind our exhibitors to comply with the rules of our exhibition and Hong Kong’s laws, including the national security law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance,” she said.
The council’s deputy director said exhibitors were all complying with the exhibition’s requirements, including local laws covering obscenity and intellectual property.
“Booksellers are well aware of these regulations, which they always respect. We are confident in the exhibitors’ understanding and adherence to these rules,” Chong said.
The Sport and Leisure Expo, meanwhile, will welcome a “pushing hand” robot from Haulun Gernotech that has been endorsed by tai chi masters such as Li Fai and helps elderly residents improve their balance.
Derek Tsui Pui-yung, the company’s research and development manager, said the robot’s movements were based on recordings of experienced tai chi masters to help users learn pushing hand techniques to adjust their posture.
Over at the World of Snacks, Nestle Hong Kong will bring classic products, such as the orange and vanilla “Wonder” ice bar and the iconic “Footsie” ice cream stick, to the event for the first time ever.
“We don’t have an estimation of how many sales we will make, but we hope everyone coming to the book fair will also grab an ice cream to have a taste of childhood memories,” company marketing head Rita Fan Wai-shan said.