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Wynna Wong

Thousands of visitors have flocked to the launch of the Hong Kong Book Fair, with shoppers bringing along backpacks and suitcases while searching for the latest releases and bargains.
Some bookworms arrived early outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Wednesday, waiting for the doors to open at 10am.
Vic Mak, a logistical services worker in his thirties, arrived about an hour early with a shopping trolley.
“I wanted to come early because there are actually fewer people in the first few hours, and I wanted to be able to walk around without getting packed like a sardine,” he said.
Mak said he was searching for travel books, novels and some children’s books for his son.
“Usually vendors offer some kind of discount, but the main point is I can get everything all at once in one place,” he added.
Other patrons praised the size and atmosphere of this year’s event.
“I think the guests they invited [for the seminars] this year are quite impressive,” said retiree May Kwok, who is in her sixties.
She said Jin Yucheng, an author best known for his award-winning Chinese novel Blossoms, has also been invited to the event.
The story recently found renewed fame after director Wong Kar-wai adapted the book into a television series, with the first episode airing in mainland China last December.
The 34th edition of the annual book fair, which will run until next Tuesday, is based around the theme of “Film and Television Literature”.
This year’s book fair will also be held alongside the Sports and Leisure Expo and World of Snacks event, bringing together 760 vendors.

The book fair will also feature a host of renowned writers, academics and celebrities, including Chinese writer Su Tong, best known for works such as Raise the Red Lantern and Petulia’s Rouge Tin.
Other guest speakers include contemporary dramatist and screenwriter Raymond To Kwok-Wai, former Hong Kong Observatory director Lam Chiu-ying and City of Darkness author Yuyi, whose work was recently adapted into the record-breaking box office hit Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In.
Speaking at the event’s opening ceremony, Undersecretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Raistlin Lau-chun said: “The publishing and printing industry is one of the important creative industries in Hong Kong.
“The book fair is an important part of promoting the industry’s development.”
Sophia Chong Suk-fan, deputy executive director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, which organised the event, expressed confidence this year’s fair would see a good turnout, bolstered by mainland visitors, especially thanks to promotion efforts across the border.
But vendors said they were less optimistic, with some noting the turnout so far had failed to match last year’s event.
Alexander Chan Kwok-wah, deputy general manager at Cité Publishing, said: “The crowd this morning did not look as big as the same time last year.”
The company’s sales in general throughout the first half of 2024 had fallen compared with the same period last year, he said, attributing the drop to a sluggish economy and residents’ weaker purchasing power due to wages failing to keep up with inflation.
“The money we spent on setting up the booth [at the fair] this year actually rose by 3 per cent compared with last year,” Chan said, adding the costs included rent and staff wages.
Fatima Lu, director of Kadokawa Publishing Business Group, which specialises in Japanese manga, anime and related paraphernalia, agreed and said she had yet to see any increase in visitor traffic.
“We spoke to some other vendors nearby and they all said foot traffic seemed to have decreased from last year,” she said.
But Lu said she remained optimistic, adding that her booth was offering limited edition comics that had yet to be released in other parts of the world.


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Book lovers rush to get their hands on the event’s latest offerings. Photo: Elson Li

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News

Hong Kong

Society

Early birds queue outside Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre with backpacks and suitcases ahead of event opening at 10am


Early birds queue outside Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre with backpacks and suitcases ahead of event opening at 10am.


Hong Kong Book Fair

Hong Kong economy