Taipei international book fair records 570,000 visitors

Taipei, Feb. 10 (CNA) The annual Taipei International Book Exhibition (TiBE), which ended Sunday, drew an estimated 570,000 visitors over the six days it lasted, surpassing last year's turnout of 550,000, according to the organizers.

The enthusiastic participation by 570,000 visitors, amid frigid temperatures, was an indication of people's passion for reading and showed that the event was a success, Culture Minister Li Yuan (李遠) said at the TiBE closing ceremony at Taipei World Trade Center.

The strong response by the public also showed that there was no justification for the opposition parties' decision to cut the Ministry of Culture's 2025 budget by NT$1.1 billion (US$33.5 million) and freeze another NT$3.4 billion, said Li, whose ministry hosts and partially funds the TiBE.

Despite the limited funding, he said, the MOC will continue to host high quality events.

Li also said he was pleased to see that many people followed his lead, sharing on social media lists of their book purchases at the fair, after he shared on Facebook the titles of books purchased by President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), and Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) at the TiBE, which helped to boost the profile of the event.

Another noteworthy and "heartwarming" aspect of the book fair was the pavilion of Italy, the country that was this year's guest of honor, Li said.

Over the course of the six days, a plain wall at the Italian Pavilion became a "kids area" that was plastered with children's artworks, after the staff at the pavilion granted a request by a child to post his art alongside the display of works by renowned Italian illustrators, Li noted.

This gave visitors a glimpse of the world through the eyes of children, he said. It also highlighted Italy's rich history and its reputation as the home of romantic people with boundless imaginations, he said.

According to Li, the guest of honor at next year's TiBE will be Thailand.