A man reads a book during the 24th Chinese National Book Trade Fair, which took place in Guiyang, Guizhou province, from Aug 1 through 4. [Photo by Liu Zhihua/China Daily]

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New kids section at Beijing Book Building

The 24th Chinese National Book Trade Fair, the largest such fair in China, which was first held in 1980, closes on Monday.

The fair, which opened in Guiyang, Guizhou province, on August 1, featured around 2,395 booths from more than 800 publishing houses and companies around the country, including Hong Kong and Macao.

That number was 10 percent more than the previous year, according to the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, which jointly organized the event with the government of Guizhou province.

"In 2014, we are going to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China," said Jiang Jianguo, Party chief of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

"The book fair serves well to set a cultural background for the celebration. It will also boost the press and publication industry and enhance people’s enthusiasm for reading and books."

High-ranking officials from the provincial government and the State Administration of Press and Publication, Radio, Film and Television, attended the fair, as did many celebrities, including writers Wang Meng and Cao Wenxuan, and economist Wu Jinglian.

Nearly 200 events have been held during the fair. On Friday morning, Zhejiang Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House held a seminar to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Bing Xin Children’s Literature Award.

A ceremony was also held to announce the donation of millions of books to Guizhou province by publishing houses around China.

A separate ceremony was held to announce the top 10 Readers of the Year. China Reading Weekly, a Chinese publication about reading and the book industry, organized the event. Many seminars and book signings were also held during the fair.