Shanghai book fair postponed until July owing to coronavirus

The Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair has been postponed until July owing to the city’s coronavirus regulations. 

The fair, originally planned for November last year, had already been rescheduled for 20th and 22nd March. However, it has now been postponed again to run from 22nd to 24th July. It will remain in the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Centre. 

The fair’s organisers apologised for the “inconvenience” and said they were “handling all the proceedings derived from this new situation in the best interest of our exhibitors and visitors”. 

The fair will return to its traditional autumnal schedule in November 2023, which will mark the 10th anniversary of the event. In a statement, organisers said: “Starting from today, we are working hard on making this event an incredible opportunity for the global children’s publishing community to connect with the Chinese market.” 

They added: “Before the festivities begin, we are looking forward to meeting you in a few weeks at the next Bologna Children’s Book Fair, which will be held on 21st to 24th March 2022. We are waiting for you at our booth (Hall 26 B84) to discover the latest children’s titles from China. Additionally, real-time events to connect the Shanghai and Bologna networks will continue as planned."

Unlike most other countries, China has said it will not ease its strict coronavirus restrictions, which use lockdowns  to shut infection routes as soon as they are detected.

The clash in dates between the Shanghai Book Fair and Bologna this month had caused concern for publishers, with many saying they did not have the resources to attend both. 

Most agents and publishers The Bookseller spoke to late last year said Bologna was highest on the agenda and were concerned about missing out on meetings with Chinese publishers.