Beijing’s Cultural Essence Shines in Hong Kong, Showcasing Chinese Heritage

The 34th Hong Kong Book Fair has concluded， attracting around one million visitors over its seven-day run. This year， Beijing participated as the theme city， with the theme “Beijing-Hong Kong: Joining Hands to Build Dreams， Spreading Culture through Books”. The exhibition featured a range of high-quality books， intangible cultural heritage products， and various cultural events， offering visitors a comprehensive display of Beijing’s rich cultural achievements and unique urban charm in the new era. The Beijing Municipal Publicity Department organized a delegation of 12 units， including city-affiliated publishing houses and cultural heritage enterprises， to participate in the event， achieving significant results.

Books as a Medium: Showcasing Beijing and Chinese Culture

Over its 30-year history， the Hong Kong Book Fair has become a major cultural event in Hong Kong and an important platform for the mainland’s publishing industry to “promote cultural outreach” and foster international exchange and cooperation. This year’s book fair saw Beijing participating on a large scale for the first time， bringing nearly 1，000 types of books and over 3，000 volumes of Beijing’s finest publications. The exhibit highlighted Beijing’s role as a national cultural center， leading the healthy and prosperous development of the publishing industry， and actively demonstrated the cultural confidence and humanistic atmosphere of the capital of a major nation.

During the Hong Kong Book Fair， the Beijing-themed pavilion attracted a large number of visitors， with an average of 10，000 people visiting daily to browse and purchase books. Visitors explored high-quality publications such as the Beijing Culture Series， the Beijing Trends series， the Little Books for Everyone series， the Newly Compiled Historical Mini-Series， Baoshui， Thirty Thousand Miles in Beijing， The Ancient Capital in Poetry -- Beijing， and more. They also admired exquisite cultural products like miniature Peking Opera costumes and clay rabbit god figurines， observed the ancient book restoration techniques of national intangible cultural heritage， and gained a deeper understanding of the vibrant development of Beijing and the profound Chinese culture.

Cultural Exchange: In-Depth Dialogues Between Beijing and Hong Kong

During the Hong Kong Book Fair， Beijing organized a variety of cultural exchange events， inviting renowned authors， experts， and scholars to engage in enriching activities with Hong Kong readers， fostering connections and shared experiences.

On the afternoon of July 17， the launch and award ceremony of Young Adventures in Calligraphy and Art: Beijing written by youth from Beijing and Hong Kong was held at the Beijing-themed pavilion. Youth from Beijing and Hong Kong exchanged ideas and wrote about Beijing through calligraphy and essays， with their works being published for the first time. This initiative symbolizes the growing friendship between the youth of Beijing and Hong Kong， jointly portraying a beautiful vision of the new era.

On the morning of July 18， an event commemorating the 130th birthday of Mei Lanfang， a Peking Opera master， was held at the Chinese University of Hong Kong， along with the “Mei Lanfang Photo Exhibition.” The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Press and Publication and the Beijing Publishing Group donated the Complete Chronicle of Mei Lanfang (Volumes I and II) of the Beijing Culture Series to the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Renowned cultural scholars Zheng Peikai and Jin Fei， representing experts from Beijing and Hong Kong， delivered keynote speeches， while Zheng Xiao， National first-class actor of Beijing Peking Opera House and a disciple of the famous Peking Opera artist Mei Baojiu， performed classic Peking Opera scenes， introducing Hong Kong’s youth to the art of the Mei School and China’s outstanding traditional culture， thereby enhancing cultural identity and inspiring patriotism.

On the afternoon of July 19， well-known authors Qiao Ye from Beijing and Zhou Jieru from Hong Kong engaged in a lively discussion at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre， exploring the literary characteristics of both cities. They shared insights into their creative processes with the audience， receiving an enthusiastic response.

Strengthening Cooperation: Deepening Collaboration Between Beijing and Hong Kong’s Publishing Industries

In recent years， cultural exchanges and cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong have been frequent and close. Beijing， leveraging its position as the “first in service，” has maintained a long-standing and fruitful partnership with Hong Kong， contributing to the high-quality development of both regions. Taking advantage of its role as the theme city at this event， Beijing further expanded its cooperation with Hong Kong， actively promoting collaboration in the publishing industry. During the event， Beijing’s publishing organizations held discussions with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Sino United Publishing Group， and conducted in-depth research in areas such as the West Kowloon Cultural District， Commercial Press， Joint Publishing， and Chung Sheung Art Building. These efforts helped them gain a deeper understanding of the Hong Kong cultural and book market， identify market potential， and explore collaboration opportunities.

As representatives of the publishing industries in Beijing and Hong Kong， the Beijing Publishing Group and Sino United Publishing Group signed a strategic cooperation agreement at the Hong Kong Book Fair. Both parties， adhering to the principles of “resource complementarity， mutual benefit， collaborative development， and mutual promotion，” will further deepen their cooperation， jointly promote the cultural development of both cities， disseminate China’s outstanding culture， and tell China’s story well， contributing to the modernization of Chinese civilization and the construction of a socialist cultural powerhouse.