Feature: Two-way street -- China's delegation highlights cultural synergy, tech fusion at London Book Fair

Abstract : At Olympia London, where the 2026 London Book Fair opened Tuesday, the China pavilion stands out not merely for its expansive footprint, but for the comprehensive publishing ecosystem it showcases.

People talk at the China Pavilion of the 2026 London Book Fair in London, Britain, March 10, 2026. At Olympia London, where the 2026 London Book Fair opened Tuesday, the China pavilion stands out not merely for its expansive footprint, but for the comprehensive publishing ecosystem it showcases. The Chinese publishing delegation has arrived with an impressive portfolio of over 4,000 titles and a packed schedule of more than 40 events. Spanning the three-day fair, the agenda ranges from high-profile new book launches and author talks to rights exchanges and industry forums.(Xinhua/Li Ying)

by Xinhua Writers Zheng Bofei, Zhao Jiasong

LONDON, March 11 (Xinhua) -- At Olympia London, where the 2026 London Book Fair opened Tuesday, the China pavilion stands out not merely for its expansive footprint, but for the comprehensive publishing ecosystem it showcases.

The Chinese publishing delegation has arrived with an impressive portfolio of over 4,000 titles and a packed schedule of more than 40 events. Spanning the three-day fair, the agenda ranges from high-profile new book launches and author talks to rights exchanges and industry forums.

From the historic Yongle Encyclopedia to modern award-winners, the China pavilion offers a comprehensive view of Chinese literature. Complementing these physical texts are interactive VR experiences and IP exhibits, highlighting the sector's dynamic fusion of heritage, digital technology and creative content development.

This approach is also reflected in the fair's program. A symposium on "China and the World in the New Era" launched multilingual editions, and events surrounding the English editions of China Development Report 2025 and Global Development Report 2025 brought Chinese development issues into a broader international publishing conversation.

For Marcelino Elosua, founder and chair of LID Publishing, this initiative transcends mere market dynamics. Speaking at the symposium, he said publishing is not only a business activity, but also something with a deeper cultural meaning.

Others pointed to a broader change in the industry itself. Peter Reay, a publishing professional and translator with over a decade of experience living in China, observed that the dynamic between China and overseas markets is evolving into a truly reciprocal exchange.

"In the publishing industry, I think we are definitely talking about the change, the switch of that balance from having a one-way stream to now having a bilateral stream between the two," he said.

Nicolas Cheetham, managing director at Head of Zeus, made a similar point after a showcase event for Chinese writer Mai Jia's translated works. The China pavilion, he said, offered readers, editors, translators and publishers "somewhere to gather, somewhere to meet and to swap our stories and our recommendations and our enthusiasm."

"That's what the book trade is built on. It's built on individual passions and enthusiasms," he told Xinhua.

That network now extends beyond publishing in the narrow sense. An industry event held during the fair focused on China-Britain cooperation in creative publishing, with topics ranging from youth IP development to digital content innovation and international distribution.

As Jiella Esmat, CEO of 8 Lions Entertainment Ltd., has put it, "Ultimately, collaboration brings faster, better, greater results."

Artificial intelligence was another recurring theme at the fair, particularly in relation to translation and content creation.

"People aren't reading books because they were done efficiently or conveniently," but "are reading books for the human connection," Jack Hargreaves, a young British translator of Chinese literature, told Xinhua.

He warned that surrendering too much of the creative process to machine translation would mean losing "a really important and foundational aspect of writing and translation and literature."

Chinese writer Xu Zhiyuan placed AI in a wider historical context, saying that every information revolution changes how people understand themselves and the world, while also bringing anxiety and dislocation.

"A great reader wants to take themselves away from the real world and immerse themselves in someone else's virtual reality," said Cheetham.

Esmat offered a similarly human-centered view. "AI is changing a lot, but it's not changing everything," she said. "This business is about relationships, it's about great stories, and it's about mutual collaboration, and AI cannot replace those things."

A woman reads at the China Pavilion of the 2026 London Book Fair in London, Britain, March 10, 2026.