Translated Chinese books gain popularity at Egypt’s largest book fair

Published: February 08,2023

A young girl browses children books at a booth during the Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF) in Cairo, Egypt, on Feb. 5, 2023. Held at Egypt International Exhibition Center in New Cairo, the 54th CIBF kicked off on Jan. 25 and continues till Feb. 6, exhibiting books of at least 1,047 publishing houses from over 50 countries. The fair, which is organized by the GEBO of the Ministry of Culture, attracted nearly 3 million visitors. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

Decorated with Chinese-style red lanterns, the pavilion of translated Chinese books saw a big turnout of book lovers at the 54th edition of Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF), the largest book fair in the country.

The pavilion of Bayt Al-Hekma Cultural Group, a publishing house mainly devoted to the Arabic translation of Chinese books as well as Chinese language learning books and courses, displayed during the fair about 1,000 book titles in Arabic and English on Chinese culture, history, literature, economy, and among many others.

Visitors of different ages frequented the pavilion of Chinese books. Some parents picked children’s books for their kids and some teens and young people were attracted to books on Chinese culture, history and development.

Abdel-Rahman Ibrahim, an 18-year-old high school student, was taking a tour of the pavilion to pick a book on Chinese history. “China has overcome a lot of problems throughout its history while the Chinese wisdom is shown in their literature, thoughts and philosophy,” the Egyptian student told Xinhua.

The fair also saw many Chinese-learning Egyptian students coming for relevant books, dictionaries and lexicons to help improve their linguistic skills. “I greatly admired the Chinese culture and people. So, I want to learn more about China, an ancient civilization with a unique language, history, literature and culture,” Noura Gamal, a junior student of Chinese at AinShams University in Cairo, told Xinhua.

Meanwhile, a Chinese novel translated into Arabic by Egyptian translator Radwa Imbabi won the best-translated children’s book at the fair.

Ahmed al-Saeed, CEO of the group, said that China’s tremendous development is one of the reasons for the growing popularity of Chinese books. “We cover everything related to China for Arab readers. We provide printed, audio and electronic books on the most well-known Arab platforms, and they achieve great success. We have moved from the stage of promotion to that of popularity,” said the head of BaytAl-Hekma.

Mohamed El-Fiqi, head of the General Egyptian Book Organization (GEBO)’s central department for marketing, told Xinhua that “the Chinese pavilion participates in the fair with many rich book titles that increase every year in a very successful effort to bring the cultures of Egypt and China closer.”

Held at Egypt International Exhibition Center in New Cairo, the 54th CIBF kicked off on Jan. 25 and continues till Feb. 6, exhibiting books of at least 1,047 publishing houses from over 50 countries.

The fair, which is organized by the GEBO of the Ministry of Culture, attracted nearly 3 million visitors. 

A man holds books bought at the Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF) in Cairo, Egypt, on Feb. 5, 2023. Held at Egypt International Exhibition Center in New Cairo, the 54th CIBF kicked off on Jan. 25 and continues till Feb. 6, exhibiting books of at least 1,047 publishing houses from over 50 countries. The fair, which is organized by the GEBO of the Ministry of Culture, attracted nearly 3 million visitors. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

People visit the Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF) in Cairo, Egypt, on Feb. 5, 2023. Held at Egypt International Exhibition Center in New Cairo, the 54th CIBF kicked off on Jan. 25 and continues till Feb. 6, exhibiting books of at least 1,047 publishing houses from over 50 countries. The fair, which is organized by the GEBO of the Ministry of Culture, attracted nearly 3 million visitors. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

People visit the Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF) in Cairo, Egypt, on Feb. 5, 2023. Held at Egypt International Exhibition Center in New Cairo, the 54th CIBF kicked off on Jan. 25 and continues till Feb. 6, exhibiting books of at least 1,047 publishing houses from over 50 countries. The fair, which is organized by the GEBO of the Ministry of Culture, attracted nearly 3 million visitors. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

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