Chinese books attract Egyptian readers at Cairo int'l book fair

A staff member shows a traditional Chinese decoration at a book pavilion during the Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF) in Cairo, Egypt, July 5, 2021. Three pavilions were launched to exhibit Chinese books and cultural products at the ongoing 52nd edition of Cairo International Book Fair. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

CAIRO, July 7 (Xinhua) -- At the ongoing 52nd edition of Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF), three pavilions introducing Chinese books and cultural products notably attracted Egyptian visitors.

"I'm interested in the Chinese culture and literature, that is why I come here every year to buy new books about China and its culture," Ahmed Medhat, a graphic designer, told Xinhua.

For Medhat, the CIBF is a great chance to find books about China, especially its history and literature.

"You cannot find such books somewhere else in Egypt... I buy tens of books every year from the CIBF. These books bring me closer to the Chinese people and their culture," Medhat added.

The CIBF, which kicked off on June 30 and will run until July 15, is held at Egypt International Exhibitions Center with the participation of 1,218 publishers from 25 countries amid strict implementation of anti-COVID-19 precautionary measures.

This year, the two-week annual event launched an online platform for the fair to provide relevant online services and activities to limit the number of daily visitors in accordance with precautionary measures.

At the heart of the fair, three Chinese pavilions, which are affiliated with Cairo-based Chinese-Egyptian Wisdom House for Cultural Industries institution, can be noticed effortlessly.

Chinese flags and bright red lanterns decorated the pavilions and dangled over the bookshelves, attracting visitors who want to learn more about China, its culture and civilization.

"Our participation is unique this year as we have three pavilions focusing on the Chinese culture... we have books in Arabic, Chinese and English," Ahmed al-Saeed, chairman of the Wisdom House institution told Xinhua.

In the three pavilions, Wisdom House displays more than 500 titles focusing Chinese culture, civilization, literature, politics, science as well as educational books for children, al-Saeed pointed out.

"We have 50 new titles, 10 of them tackle China's experience in fighting COVID-19 pandemic. We also have new titles on the experience of the Communist Party of China and China's socialism," he added.

Al-Saeed said that the three pavilions have witnessed a huge turnout, noting that more Egyptians are currently willing to know more about China.

"Chinese language is now being taught at 24 Egyptian universities. Egypt and China also signed a cooperation protocol to teach the Chinese language in pre-university schools in Egypt as a second optional foreign language," al-Saeed said.

Since its establishment in 2011, al-Saeed said, Wisdom House has been focusing on publishing China-related cultural and literature books in Arabic to enhance China-Arab cultural exchange.

At the Wisdom House pavilion focusing on children's books, Nehal Hassan, a physician from Cairo, picked up some Chinese language learning books for her two kids.

"Chinese language is spreading rapidly and I want my children to learn it," she told Xinhua, adding that learning the Chinese language removes cultural barriers between the Egyptian and Chinese peoples.

She noted that Chinese-Egyptian cooperation in all fields is currently great and developing, adding that learning Chinese language will help her kids find better opportunities in the future.

"The book fair is the right place for me to find such great Chinese education books for my children... I'm sure they will love to learn Chinese," Hassan said.