The six-day Taipei International Book Exhibition starts today, featuring Polish authors as the guests of honor, while promoting reading and the pursuit of net zero emissions.
The exhibition is the most energetic and creative platform in the Chinese-speaking world for readers, authors and publishers to exchange ideas, Vice Minister of Culture Lee Lien-chuan (李連權) told a pre-exhibition news conference in Taipei yesterday.
He welcomed Polish authors, illustrators and publishers to the exhibition, including best-selling author of The Witcher series Andrzej Sapkowski.
Photo: Screen grab from the Web site of the Taipei International Book Exhibition
To suit the exhibition’s goal of net zero emissions, visitors can enter the venue by paying with EasyCard, iPass and iCash electronic payment cards, as there would be no ticket booth, the event organizers said, adding that digital signs have been set up around the venues to provide information such as the venue map, event schedules and guest speakers.
Many pavilions have been built with environmentally friendly materials. For example, the Belgian Pavilion was built out of recyclable bamboo, and no posters have been used in the Polish Pavilion, they said.
Inspired by Polish traditional folk art, the Polish Pavilion has a red theme and is decorated with laser-engraved patterns to create a local atmosphere, they said.
Polish YouTuber Mila and her Taiwanese partner, Sky, who run the YouTube channel meetworldhome, flew to Poland to promote the exhibition and are scheduled to participate in Poland Night on Saturday to introduce Polish cuisine, they said.
The exhibition’s first-time participant, Italy, has arranged forums and events to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Italian author Italo Calvino, they added.
The Bologna Children’s Book Fair curates the “exhibition without written words” to break down language barriers with a display of 50 picture books to stimulate readers’ imagination, they said.
In the literature section, publishers and editors are to provide behind-the-scenes insight into the publishing industry, from proposing ideas and creating works to printing, publishing and marketing, they said.
Visitors can download the official application of the exhibition to find out about domestic and international authors participating in the exhibition, as well as more than 240 events through Sunday next week, Taipei Book Fair Foundation chairman Isabella Wu (吳韻儀) said.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious