Ready for the Future-- The Second Cross-Strait Book Fair

The five-day fair opened September 20 in Hall 2 of the Taipei World Trade Center.

Altogether there are 100,000 titles and 1 million copies of books from both sides for sale. Publishing rights can also be negotiated. At the same time, industry players are holding talks on the present state of publishing across the strait, and how the two sides might collaborate in the future.

Publishing across the straits

The first Cross-Strait Book Fair was held in Xiamen, Fujian Province, in July 2005. Huang Guorong, deputy secretary-general of the Publishers Association of China, says that not only was that the first time Taiwanese books were sold at a mainland industry event, but also that almost half the publishing rights deals made there--143 out of 301--were for Taiwanese books. Sales of Taiwanese books at the fair reached RMB¥2 million (NT$8 million), and the books that most caught the eyes of Chinese readers and industry were Taiwanese literary, historical, and philosophical titles. Thanks to the fair, NT$24 million worth of Taiwanese books were exported to China in 2005--up from NT$16 million in 2004. Looking the other direction, we see that mainland titles have been well received in Taiwan too, with sales of NT$68 million in 2005, a leap of almost 50% over 2004's NT$48 million.

Yu Yongzhan, deputy director of China's State Press and Publication Administration, led a group of more than 300 industry professionals from over 100 publishing companies to exhibit in Taipei. They were accompanied by more than 300 other visitors. This was another example of a large group of Chinese professionals coming to Taiwan, following a Microsoft conference in August that was attended by hundreds of staffers from its China offices.

This year's fair is divided into zones devoted to "mainland books," "Taiwanese books," and "publishing rights," as well as a "theme pavilion." Of the mainland books on display, the ones receiving the most attention are huge collections of classic works making their first appearance in Taiwan, including a newly edited collection of texts called Revised Rare Editions of China, the Ming-era Yongle Compendium, and an electronic version of the Qing-era Complete Library of the Four Branches of Literature. For a feel of the size of these works, look at the Revised Rare Editions of China, which contains works from many of China's ethnic groups from the Tang through the Qing--it comprises 751 works in 9,212 volumes, and the Academia Sinica has the only complete set in Taiwan. Such massive collections could only be partially displayed at the fair.

Taiwan's Book Marketing Development Association, which put on the event, invited Taiwan's Eslite, Kingstone, books. com.tw, and the Shanghai Bookstore to choose the ten most notable and topical authors and books from both sides of the straits. Notably, Taiwanese bloggers Giddens and Wanwan made the list, as did Yi Zhongtian, host of China Central Television's Lecture Room--a sign that the publishing industries in Taiwan and the mainland are seeking alliances with non-print media sources.

A win-win situation

In addition to the books for sale, the fair offers an opportunity for industry insiders from both sides to exchange and discuss ideas. That's the true point of the event.

Lin Tsai-chueh, publisher and chief editor at Taiwan's Linking Books, remains optimistic about Taiwan's declining publishing business: "Though production is down 20-30% this year, there were still more than 40,000 titles published." He believes publishing in Taiwan can stay vital because most firms' small size means they can react quickly to market demands. Also, they have the self-discipline to hold onto their inventories rather than slash prices.

Zhang Fuhai, deputy leader of the Chinese delegation, says China's publishing industry has entered an era of competition by scale--the larger the publisher, the more successful it is. Chain-style operations have also been gaining ground.

Hu Shouwen, vice president of the China Youth Press, expresses this view of the future: "In the past, mainland publishers depended for their growth on European and American titles. In future, we'll seek to sell Chinese products worldwide."

What's more, that concept of the future relies for its success on cooperation between Taiwanese and Chinese companies.

Wang Jung-wen, chairman of Taiwan's Yuan-liou Publishing, says that Chinese is becoming the world's second major language, presenting a rare opportunity for both sides to draw upon their roots in Chinese culture and their own distinct aesthetics to make their mark on a new century. However, cross-strait collaboration still faces many obstacles. For one, the book market has yet to be regulated in the mainland, and the authorities on both sides forbid the creation of cross-strait publishing companies. For these reasons, substantial collaborations have yet to materialize.

Huang Guorong predicts that there will be a "trilogy" of cross-strait cooperation: trading of publishing rights, book importing and exporting, and joint ventures. Though we are currently stuck at the first stage, industry insiders agree that a spirit of cooperation and the sharing of resources and experiences will create a win-win situation, readying both sides for the future of Chinese-language publishing.