Taipei book fair concludes; minister highlights cultural exchange

Taipei, Feb. 9 (CNA) The Taipei International Book Exhibition (TiBE) concluded on Sunday, drawing 580,000 visitors over six days, as Culture Minister Li Yuan (李遠) highlighted the event's role in cultural exchange with other countries.

Li said Taiwan's cultural sector has flourished alongside its economic and technological development over the years. "We are working hard to become a cultural nation," he said, and promised that cultural exchanges with other countries will continue.

This year's TiBE, which opened on Feb. 3, featured 509 publishers from 29 countries and drew 1,467 local and international authors.

Organizers held 1,301 reading promotion events and 1,853 copyright meetings. The Ministry of Culture (MOC) also subsidized participation for 1,076 students from 50 remote schools nationwide.

Taipei Book Fair Foundation Chairman Rex How (郝明義) said the fair's popularity and sales clearly increased this year, crediting MOC policies allowing weekday tickets to be fully redeemed through vouchers and the use of "Cultural Points," a program launched in 2023 to encourage young adults to participate in related activities.

International journalists were also curious about how TiBE manages to combine a professional copyright-trading fair with a consumer-focused exhibition so seamlessly, How added.

According to the foundation, the Czech Republic will be the theme country (Guest of Honor) at next year's Taipei book exhibition.

David Steinke, representative of the Czech Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, said he was impressed by the fair's growing scale and popularity, but noted that what stood out most was seeing children's eyes light up as they explored the books -- the most rewarding aspect of the event.

As next year's theme country, Steinke described Taiwan and the Czech Republic as sharing close ties and deep literary connections. He said the 2027 fair will feature classics by authors such as Milan Kundera, Franz Kafka and Bohumil Hrabal, as well as works by contemporary Czech writers.