The annual Taipei International Book Exhibition (TiBE), which ended on Sunday, drew about 570,000 visitors over its six-day run, surpassing last year’s turnout of 550,000, its organizers said.
The enthusiastic response, despite the cold weather, was an indication of people’s passion for reading, which contributed to the show’s success, Minister of Culture Li Yuan (李遠) said at the fair’s closing ceremony at Taipei World Trade Center.
The strong public response also showed that there was no justification for the opposition parties’ decision to cut the ministry’s budget for this year by NT$1.1 billion (US$33.5 million) and freeze another NT$3.4 billion, said Li, whose ministry hosts and partially funds the TiBE.
Photo: CNA
Despite the limited funding, the ministry would continue to host high-quality events, Li said.
The minister added that he was pleased to see that many people followed his lead, sharing on social media lists of their book purchases at the fair.
Li had shared on Facebook the titles of books purchased by President William Lai (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) at the TiBE, which helped boost the profile of the event.
Another noteworthy and “heartwarming” aspect of the book fair was the pavilion of Italy, the country that was this year’s guest of honor, Li said.
Over the fair’s six days, a plain wall at the Italian Pavilion became a “kids area” and was plastered with children’s artworks, after the staff at the pavilion granted a request by a child to post his art alongside the display of works by renowned Italian illustrators, he said.
That gave visitors a glimpse of the world through the eyes of children, he said.
It also highlighted Italy’s rich history and its reputation as the home of romantic people with boundless imagination, he said.
Thailand is to be the guest of honor at next year’s TiBE, Li added.
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