CCBF to welcome international delegates if travel restrictions allow

The Shanghai Children’s Book Fair (CCBF), scheduled to take place this year from 19th-21st November, will welcome international delegates to an in-person event as long as travel restrictions are not in place, the organisers have confirmed.

One of the major themes of the fair will be "Books & Seeds" and the organisers have plans for workshops, exhibitions and seminars about books on nature. There will be a focus on illustrations, including the Golden Pinwheel Young Illustrators Competition, and a digital hub, covering the integration of technology and children’s content.

CCBF predicts that 450 domestic and international exhibitors will attend the fair, along with 30,000 visitors, both professionals and local readers.

Currently visitors can only enter China if they can prove they have been vaccinated and there are only a limited number of direct flights running between European cities and Shanghai, according to the Foreign Office. People entering China must quarantine for 14 days.

CCBF is organised by BolognaFiere, organiser of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, in partnership with the Shanghai XinHua Distribution Group. Last year, it was one of the few international book fairs to hold an in-person event, with 386 exhibitors from 21 countries taking part. It also ran a series of online broadcasts, which received around 520,000 views.

According to CCBF, the children’s book market occupies the largest share of China's book retail market, reaching 28.31% in 2020. During the pandemic sales increased 1.96%, despite a drop in the overall market of 5%, it said.