BARCELONA, Spain, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- A delegation of over 30 representatives from 15 Chinese publishing houses visited Spain this week to meet with their Spanish counterparts at the Liber 24 International Book Fair in Barcelona.
The Chinese stand was one of 250 exhibitors from a dozen countries aiming to connect with other industry professionals at Liber 24, Spain's largest publishing trade fair, held in Barcelona from Oct. 1 to 3.
In addition to networking with Spanish publishers at the fair, the Chinese delegation participated in two public forums to promote educational books about China, focusing primarily on politics, economics, and culture.
"This has been a very impressive visit, and we have felt the Spanish people's passion for Chinese culture," Shen Shuiping, vice president of China Educational Publications Import & Export Corporation Ltd (CEPIEC), told Xinhua on Thursday.
The Chinese delegation brought over 1,000 books about China, some 200 of which were donated to local libraries during a ceremony at the Chinese Consulate General in Barcelona on Thursday.
"The people of China and Spain need to know more about each other and that's why this delegation is here to promote China through its books," Hu Aimin, China's acting consul general in Barcelona, told Xinhua.
Spanish writer Jorge Aguadero, who also writes about China for international publications such as Global Times and China Daily, described the Chinese people as being "proud of their culture, in the best sense of the word."
"It's important that we in the West have access to Chinese culture, enjoy and learn from it without preconceptions, while they also have much to enjoy and learn from our literary forms," Aguadero said in an interview with Xinhua after the ceremony.
On the sidelines of the book fair, Liber 24 hosted a series of talks featuring 194 speakers across 75 sessions, attended by over 7,000 industry professionals.
The event has provided an opportunity for small and medium-sized firms to connect with large distribution companies, said Jose Maria Arizcun, a member of the Liber 24 organizing committee. While teleconferencing and web meetings have made it easier for publishers to maintain contact with buyers, he noted that the book fair enables "face-to-face contact," which remains essential.
Around 680 buyers from 65 countries attended Liber 24, according to the Federation of Publishers' Guilds of Spain, which organized the event. The federation predicted that a third of the Spanish publishing sector's annual exports would be generated through this fair.
