From June 15th to June 18th, 2023, Romania, through the Romanian Cultural Institute, and in collaboration with the National Book Center and ICR Beijing, participated in the 29th edition of the Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF), after a three-year hiatus caused by the pandemic.
According to Chinese organizers, this edition featured the participation of 2,500 publishers from 56 countries, both in-person and online, with 200,000 book titles on display. Additionally, 2,000 international copyright agreements were signed, and over 200,000 visitors attended the event over the course of its 4-day run, spanning an exhibition area of 51,900 square meters.
These statistics demonstrate the scale of the Beijing Book Fair, considered the largest in Asia and one of the most significant in the world.
A series of Romanian publishers were present at the Romanian booth, promoting around 250 titles from publishers including ICR, Nemira, Humanitas, Prestige, Academia Română, Junimea, Ideea Europeană, Corint, Integral, Creator, Polirom, Igloobest, Limes, and Libris.
The program of events held at the booth and at the ICR Beijing headquarters during BIBF 2023 included a roundtable discussion on Friday, June 16th, 2023, featuring recent Romanian books translated into Chinese, organized by the Liaoning People's Publishing House and ICR Beijing at the China National Convention Center. During this event, Cai Wenxiang, Executive Vice President of Liaoning People's Publishing House, emphasized the importance of mutual understanding, cooperation, and direct exchange of experience between the two countries to foster genuine knowledge of each other's realities, leading to the development of editorial cooperation and exchanges.
"What we aim to do is to promote foreign cultures among the Chinese while also promoting Chinese culture globally, so that the world can understand the authentic China. The bilingual book translation project undertaken by the Liaoning Publishing Group is part of the agreement signed by China and Romania in 2019 when we celebrated 70 years of bilateral diplomatic relations. Therefore, I would like to thank the translators and editors involved in these projects for their efforts," said Ms. Shan Yingqi, Vice President of the Liaoning Publishing Group.
Liviu Țăranu, Director of ICR Beijing, spoke about the efforts made by Romanian sinologists and Chinese Romanians in translating remarkable works from the literature of both countries. He highlighted works such as "Nation, Modernization, and Romanian Elites" by Mircea Platon, "The History of Modern Romania" by Ioan-Aurel Pop, published by the Liaoning Publishing Group, and "The Two Europes" by Răzvan Theodorescu. He also mentioned that ten years ago, Romania and China agreed to open cultural centers in Bucharest and Beijing with the main role of deepening understanding between the Romanian and Chinese peoples, promoting cultural cooperation, and strengthening friendship. "History and culture, as pillars of great civilizations, are what bind our two peoples and countries together. Books are the best ambassadors of these two ancient cultures, the Chinese and the Romanian," added the Director of ICR Beijing.
Liang Hongying, Vice President of the Chinese Association for Literature, literary critic, former editor-in-chief of the Journal of Art and Literature in China, stated, "Through cultural exchanges, we can better understand each other's cultural and historical foundations, as well as traditional values, thus strengthening understanding and friendship between our peoples." Liang also spoke about the experience of many generations of Chinese people influenced by Romanian films shown in cinemas or public squares. She recalled films like "Valurile Dunării" (The Danube Waves), "Zile fierbinți" (Hot Days), or "Ștefan cel Mare" (Stephen the Great), which highlight the values of struggle, courage, honor, loyalty, and love. These films deeply impressed her and motivated her to face life's challenges. Additionally, when she encounters difficulties, she remembers scenes from the movie "Ciprian Porumbescu" and its wonderful music.
It should be noted that the organizers presented recorded video messages from the President of the Romanian Academy, Ioan-Aurel Pop, and Mircea Platon, as well as an interview recording with the late academician Răzvan Theodorescu about his book "The Two Europes."
The book launch event, featuring books translated from Romanian to Chinese and from Chinese to Romanian, concluded with a book donation by the Liaoning Publishing Group to Romanian-language faculties in Beijing.
Subsequently, at the ICR booth, on Saturday, June 17th, 2023, three book launches took place (at 10:00, 14:30, and 16:00): Vlad Basarab's "Tracing Memory," Claudia Motea's "Brâncuși, dragostea mea" (Brancusi, My Love), and Nicole Vasilcovschi's "Lampioane de cuvinte" (Word Lanterns). At each of these three launches, the authors, along with their guests, presented their own works, with the audience sometimes exceeding 50-70 participants.
On the last day of the Book Fair, Sunday, June 18th, 2023, at the ICR Beijing headquarters, the opening reception for the "Folding Memory" exhibition by Vlad Basarab took place. The event was honored by the presence of China's leading ceramic artist, Professor Zhu Le Geng, who is the President of the Chinese Anthropology Society and Vice President of the Cultural Industry Association of China. The audience included university faculty, Chinese diplomats, and journalists. Additionally, Chinese students from Romanian-language faculties and Romanians working in academic institutions in Beijing attended the event.
The "Folding Memory" exhibition is open to the public for viewing from June 18th to September 30th, 2023.
