Book exchange across the Straits
By Vivian Zhang
Photos by Yao Fan



The first Cross-Straits Book Fair kicked off on July 29th and finished after a successful weekend on August 1st. With sponsors including the Xiamen Municipal Government, the Fujian Provincial Bureau of Press and Publication, the Publishers Association of China, Taiwan Publishing Association and Taiwan Book Distributors Association, the fair is the first one ever held on the Chinese mainland to take the exchange of books across the Taiwan Straits as its theme.



Unprecedented

As an official from the organizing committee pointed out, the fair was notable in several ways. It was the first book exhibition in China to be given approval by The General Administration of Press and Publication of China to use the name of "Cross-Straits Book Fair." It was also the first book fair organized jointly by parties on both sides of the Taiwan Straits to invite publishers from all over the country to attend. It is also the largest book fair in which Taiwanese publishers have ever participated.



The fair included book exhibitions, book order and sale stands, book copyright trading, and symposia on book exchanges across the Straits. The exhibition hall was divided into a display area and a sales area. The sales area was open to visitors for purchasing books, and for the first time on the Chinese mainland, citizens were able to buy books imported from Taiwan in accordance with the relevant mainland regulations. This is a reflection of the keenness on the mainland to promote book exchange across the Straits. In the packed display area there were 500 booths, of which over 300 were occupied by Chinese mainland publishers and over 100 by publishers from the Taiwan side.

High recognition from Taiwan



Zhang Shuyan, the General Manager of Xiamen International Book Center and Xiamen Waitu Imp & Exp Co., said that the Taiwanese book industry had attached great importance to the fair. There are over 200 large publishing houses based in Taiwan, most of which came to the book fair, including the top 10 Taiwanese publishing houses and distributors.

Taiwanese booksellers believed that by offering a selection of Taiwanese books for sale at the fair, they could gain a deeper understanding of the demand on the mainland for Taiwanese books, and draw up more efficient sales plans in the future.



The Taiwanese books on display covered many fields, including lifestyle, culture, the arts, history and travel. The bindings and presentation were all designed to a very high standard, and the paper was of superior quality. The average price of books produced in Taiwan is two to three times higher than those produced on the Chinese mainland, but the Taiwanese bookstands attracted most of the visitors and some were emptied on the opening day.

According to an official from the organizing committee, the price difference results from differences in printing volumes. Print runs on the mainland are numbered in the thousands at least, while in Taiwan there may be runs of only a few hundred copies. This plus the already high cost of labor in Taiwan leads to the relatively high price of Taiwanese books. However, as the turnover of new publications is high, books which do not sell well can be replaced and heavily discounted after just a couple of months. Taiwanese publishers hope that this advantage will allow them to take a share of the mainland book market.

 

 

Yin holds Piano Master Class
By Xu Qi
Photo by Yao Fan



Yin Chengzong, one of China's best pianists, will be holding a Piano Master Class on Gulangyu from August 7th to 21st.

News of the class quickly swept through the country, especially among piano players. About 20 young players will be chosen to attend the master class, and they are likely to be future piano stars and international competition winners.

Undoubtedly, the greatest attraction of this class for up and coming performers lies in the high quality of the teaching panel, including Yin himself and some of his celebrated students. These students include the winners of important international piano competitions.

Yin was born on Gulangyu, known as the "island of music", and had his basic music education there. "Gulangyu is dear to me as it is the cradle of my piano career," Yin says, "and now I find myself able to give something back to the island after living abroad for 22 years."

This master class is a great step forward in the development of music in Xiamen. Despite Xiamen's reputation for music, a lack of highly qualified teachers has prevented it from becoming one of the main centers for the development of top-rank musicians in China. Only now is its potential beginning to be realized, through the initiatives of world class musicians such as Mr Yin.

In addition, Yin's former residence on Gulangyu will be open to the public, with his piano and musical materials on display.

Vocabulary
symposium 讨论会
distributor 发行商
initiative 首创, 开始

 

 

炫出生活新姿彩 --个人色彩咨询?

1.什么是色彩诊断?
人体色彩诊断就是把生活中的常用色按基调的不通进行划分, 同时对人的肤色、发色和眼珠色等"色彩属性"进行科学分析, 总结出冷、暖色系人的身体色特征, 然后为人们分别找到和谐对应的色彩群.

2.色彩诊断有什么好处?
它解决了人们在生活用色方面所遇到的一切难题. 如果您学会了运用自己最适合的色彩群, 不仅能通晓服饰间的色彩关系, 而且可以清楚地知道什么颜色是最能提升自己、什么颜色是您的"排斥色", 从而轻松地驾驭色彩, 科学而自信地装扮出最漂亮的自己.

Color me beautiful

The concept of color analysis was first developed by Carol Jackson in 1980s. In 1998, Miss Yu Ximan brought this concept to China. According to this theory, all colors are broken down into two tones, either blue tones or yellow tones. Every person has colors that can match her skin tone, hair color and eye color. Color analysis is the art of wearing colors that are right for you. It will help you to find your color palette and then by wearing those colors in your palette you will radiate your natural beauty. People will notice you and you will feel good about yourself!

免费色彩及款式风格讲座 (需电话预约)
时间: 8月7日(周日)下午2: 40
地点: 厦禾路1128号富兴大厦7楼
女子学堂
电话: 3998555, 139501238085
本栏目由"快乐女子修养学堂"协办