Yu Qiuyu releases a collection of essays on self-cultivation at the expo. [Photo by Mei Jia/China Daily]

"It has gradually developed so that it's not only bigger but also stronger," he says.

China is today the world leader in the numbers of titles and copies, he adds.

The 2022 Winter Olympics in Zhangjiakou and plans to develop the Xiong'an New Area in Hebei's Baoding to advance regional integration have given significance to hosting the expo in Hebei, Nie says.

Special "reading trucks" drove 16,000 kilometers to visit 117 villages in the province starting from March to promote reading and gear up for the event.

Highlights included books about the upcoming 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (Jing-Jin-Ji) integration, children's stories and events featuring writers.

About 10,000 new titles at the expo deal with achievements since the 18th Party congress or look forward toward the 19th.

People's Publishing House released a series on 80 years of Xinhua Bookstore's development, comprising 33 volumes and 20 million words.

The publisher's head, Huang Shuyuan, says the company is preparing for 17 titles.