Visitors attend the London Book Fair on March 13, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of China National Publications Import and Export (Group) Corporation

Rather than describing it as a platform for the publishing industry, the ongoing 2025 London Book Fair (LBF) appears more like a stage for cultural sharing, especially with the more than 40 diverse book-related events being held on-site by the Chinese publishing delegation's 50 publishing units.

At the Chinese delegation's 618-square-meter exhibition stand, a thematic show on Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu and William Shakespeare has become a highlight. The two figures lived in the same era. They have been dubbed "twin stars" in global drama history. 

Copies of the Chinese translation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and the English version of Tang's The Peony Pavilion were brought to the show. The English version of The Peony Pavilion is intriguing since it has been rendered in Shakespearean poetic style. 

These displays reveal that "developing China-UK classic IPs as translated books can reduce the cultural gap between the two civilizations," Xue Daifei, a translator, told the Global Times.

Jack Hargreaves, a Chinese-English translator based in London, said he was "wildly impressed" by such works. 

He told the Global Times on-site that in these books, he sees "a remarkable achievement that required immense love, time, and effort." Along with books, multimedia displays and precious manuscripts of Zhu Shenghao - the first Chinese translator dedicated to Shakespeare's works - have also debuted at the fair. 

Several other book IP events have also debuted at the LBF, engaging London locals with "Chinese enterprise culture," "Chinese folklore" and also "China-UK people-to-people exchanges." For example, revolving around George Hoock's life story, a Chinese version of the book Original Grass: The Story of George Hoock was launched along with a symposium focusing on China-UK people-to-people exchanges during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). 

Industry analyst Jin Hong told the Global Times that such a promotional method can help international publishers see the "diversity and uniqueness" of Chinese publishing resources.

At the 2025 LBF, more than 4,000 publications were brought by the Chinese delegation. These books cover a wide range of categories, within which "academic press" and "Chinese literature" have emerged as new trends in collaboration with UK publishers.

The Rights Manager at Edinburgh University Press (EUP) Avril Cuthbert told the Global Times that her organization has been focusing on "fostering connections between academic university presses." Not only the EUP, the UK's other publishers have also shared a desire for collaboration. In 2023, EWA Publishing established a division in China to promote a deeper bond with Chinese universities and scholars. 

At the LBF, Jeremy North, global president of Book Publishing at the Taylor & Francis Group, UK, told the Xinhua News Agency, "The global academic field not only requires insight from Western scholars but also needs research and ideas directly from China."

Besides the academic sector, "Chinese literature" has long been a favorite among Western readers. For this reason, the "China-UK Literary Afternoon Tea" talk session, an event that featured renowned Chinese author Liu Zhenyun, was crowded with London audiences.

The session highlighted the evolving global impact of Chinese literature and the universal appeal of Chinese storytelling. Liu also opined on how Chinese stories are reshaping the global literary landscape. 

Noting he has observed a growing interest among English publishers in Chinese literature, especially China's countryside literature, in recent years, Hargreaves told the Global Times that the exchanges between Chinese and UK publishers look promising.

"We'd love to see our relationships strengthen over the next few years, and we look forward to welcoming more Chinese participants at The London Book Fair 2026," Adam Ridgway, director of the LBF, told the Global Times.  

The LBF was established in 1971. China was the Guest of Honor at the event in 2012. Since then, participation of Chinese publishers at the event has become a "tradition," but, as China's involvement in the fair has deepened, the LBF has evolved from "being solely a platform for book-related exchanges to a window for people in the UK to see Chinese culture," Jin told the Global Times.