After a ten-year hiatus, the famous Ditan Book Fair opened on September 8 at the Earth Temple (Ditan) Park in Beijing. The fair attracts about 100,000 visitors a day to choose books, collect Earth Temple-themed seals and buy creative literary products.
More than 200 book distributors participate in this eleven-day fair, offering more than 400,000 titles at heavily discounted rates. "Although e-books are gaining in popularity, traditional paper books are still irreplaceable. The return of the Ditan Book Fair is a feast for book lovers," said Yue Xin, representative of the Earth Temple Park.
The highlight of the fair is more than ten copies of Shi Tiesheng's masterpiece "The Temple of the Earth and I". The book tells the story of the author's lonely walks through the ancient Temple of the Earth, or Ditan Park, where he learned to understand the meaning of life and not to fear death.
Some well-known contemporary authors, including Cao Wenxuan, Qiao Ye and Wang Zhaojian, were invited to give lectures for book lovers. Children also enjoy the fair. In addition to the many children's books on sale, activities such as motion printing classes, painting lessons and puppet shows are arranged to entertain younger visitors.
The Earth Temple Park began holding book fairs in 1997, but in 2013 the fairs were suspended due to concerns over architectural and fire protection. To the delight of regulars and younger visitors alike, the book fair was reopened this year at a new location on the plaza away from any ancient buildings or trees. (Kl)
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