Global readers engage with Chinese stories at Frankfurt Book Fair

Curiosity and enthusiasm for learning more about China were palpable among visitors crowding the booths of Chinese publishers at the 77th Frankfurt Book Fair.

FRANKFURT, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Curiosity and enthusiasm for learning more about China were palpable among visitors crowding the booths of Chinese publishers at the 77th Frankfurt Book Fair, held here from Oct. 14 to 19.

Among a wide range of Chinese titles, comic books drew particular attention from young readers. The original Chinese-style comic Cang Lan Jue created a sensation at the fair.

German high school student Lisiane Scharle was one of the many visitors drawn to Chinese comics. After completing an ink wash painting on-site with Lin Dihuan, creator of Xiaolin Comics, Scharle said, "Chinese culture and art are far more profound than people think."

Academic and cultural works also attracted interest. Arnaud Begle, CEO of the Peter Lang Group, which published the German edition of Research on Tao Yuanming, told Xinhua that "this book carries not only literary heritage but also an invitation to share and engage."

Highlighting China's contemporary development, China Social Sciences Press and Britain-based Taylor & Francis Group cooperated on releasing the English editions of two Chinese books - New Quality Productive Forces, and The China Path and Its Original Meaning. Jeremy North, president of Global Book Business at Taylor & Francis, said the collaboration aims "to promote a deeper understanding among the global scholarly community of China's development and its theoretical innovations."

At a panel discussion titled "How Chinese Young Writers Are Seen by the World," German translator Eva Schestag, who translated the full version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, said the event offered valuable insights for the German publishing and translation community into the works of contemporary Chinese authors.

Rexhep Hida, president of Albania's Fan Noli Publishing House, praised the diverse range of Chinese publications at the fair. "Over the years, I've focused on China and its achievements across various fields, deepening my understanding through books on history, philosophy, psychology, and diplomacy," Hida said. ■