The Hong Kong Book Fair 2024 will take place from July 17 to 23 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this year. The city’s largest event on books will run concurrently with the Sports and Leisure Expo and World of Snacks. With a single ticket, visitors can immerse themselves in the worlds of literature, sports, and food.
This year’s Book Fair will stage more than 600 cultural events on-site and off-site including writers’ seminars and book launches. Through these activities, organisers hope that it will promote a stronger reading culture in the city. Keep reading to find out more details about the annual summer event.
Hong Kong Book Fair 2024 edition: All the details to know
Tickets for the event cost HKD 30 for adults and HKD 10 for children. One of this year’s highlights is the Art Gallery, which will be exhibiting a wide range of works from featured writers. These include Erica Li, Raymond To, Joyce Chan, Norris Wong, Chiang Hiu Mei, and Law Kar. They will be highlighting their publications, manuscripts, awards, and movie props and will engage with visitors during and outside the six-day event.
The Art Gallery will have two other exhibition areas, Featured Directors and Classic Literary Adaptations. The former will showcase selected works by renowned directors like Wong Kar-wai, Ann Hui, and Stanley Kwan. Meanwhile, the latter will highlight original novels by writers such as Eileen Chang, Lilian Lee, and Yi Shu, along with selected clips, posters, e-books, and theme songs from respective film adaptations.
There will also be a section dedicated to promoting cultural exchange via the World of Art & Culture section. Visitors can look through exhibits from across the globe which will feature film and television literature from Argentina, Colombia, the Czech Republic, France, Indonesia, South Korea, Peru, the Philippines, and more.
Echoing this year’s theme, the World of Art & Culture zone will feature an AI-powered interactive installation that will allow visitors to select keywords and recompose iconic scenes from notable films and shows. Some of these titles include In the Mood for Love, Spirited Away, and Blade Runner. Additionally, an interactive map will display filming locations and behind-the-scenes details.
Literary giants to host seminars, talks, and workshops
The fun doesn’t stop at just exhibits and displays. The Book Fair will continue its Eight Seminar Series and invite authors to share ideas on different topics. Yuyi, the author of City of Darkness will share his creative journey. His book was recently adapted into the hit movie Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. He will also shed light on the process of adapting the story into comics and a film.
Meanwhile, the Renowned Writers Seminar Series will have heavyweight Chinese-language writers from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan to speak at the fair. The line-up includes Su Tong, a pioneer of Chinese avant-garde fiction; Jin Yucheng, the writer of Blossoms Shanghai; and Ban Yu, one of the three trailblazers of the Dongbei Association.
This year, the English and International Reading Seminar Series will continue to reflect Hong Kong’s international status. Global authors such as British scholar Christopher Cowell, Korean writer Mirinae Lee, and Thai author Narisapongse Rakwattananont will be present at the event.
For the full list of seminars and speakers, make sure to visit the official website.
All images credit: HKTDC
