Photo: Li Hao/GT

The 2026 Beijing Spring Book Fair officially opened on Saturday, launching a citywide reading celebration that will run for a full month through May 17. Timed ahead of China's national reading week, the fourth week of April each year, the annual event has expanded beyond its traditional format this year, extending reading spaces and weaving in cinematic elements.

The inaugural national reading week also coincides with the 16th Beijing International Film Festival, making the cross-industry integration of "film + reading" a major highlight of the event. 

Walking into the Wangfujing Bookstore exhibition area at Chao­yang Park, visitors are greeted by decorative film strips and the slogan: "Light and shadow preserve brilliance; words continue new chapters." This year, the bookstore has collaborated with the Beijing International Film Festival to create a distinctive "cinematic reading space."

"We have drawn on our brand's distinctive character and collaborated with the Beijing International Film Festival, using historical photographs and film imagery in the exhibition design to create an experience where light, shadow and text intertwine for readers," Bai Guowei, deputy general manager of the bookstore, told the Global Times.

According to Bai, the exhibition showcases more than 3,000 titles, with a focus on history and social sciences. Among the featured books are new releases and bestsellers, including novelizations of hit TV dramas.

Here, visitors can find the original novels behind popular TV dramas such as Live Up to Your Youth and Eight Thousand Miles of Cloud and Moon.

In addition to book displays, the Wangfujing Bookstore is also organizing lectures and interactive sessions focused on filmmaking and visual storytelling. Topics include the application of artificial intelligence in video production and the fundamentals of cinematic language for young audiences. 

These events aim to "demystify the creative processes behind film and television, drawing readers closer to the stories they see on screen," noted Bai.

Another standout of the fair is the Dialogue Between Literature and Film exhibition by the China Bookstore. This special showcase brings together selected masterpieces from modern and contemporary Chinese literature alongside posters of their film adaptations, presenting nearly 20 sets of rare exhibits, such as Teahouse and The White-Haired Girl.

By placing literature and film side by side, the exhibition invites visitors to reflect on "how stories evolve across different media, underscoring the idea that books and films are not isolated forms of expression, but rather complementary ways of understanding human experience," said Liu Yichen, deputy general manager of the China Bookstore.

This year's book fair, with the broadest participation of physical bookstores and its longest run to date, is being held simultaneously across four major venues in different parts of the capital: Chaoyang Park in the east, the Nanyuan Forest and Wetland Park in the south, Shougang Park in the west, and the Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park in the north. 

This year's book fair has a total exhibition area of approximately 16,000 square meters. More than 70 special activities are held in communities, business districts, schools and governmental institutions. Bookstores in the city's 16 districts, as well as the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, have also joined the event with dedicated zones, aimed at ensuring citywide access to reading services for the first time, according to organizers.

Nearly 2,000 bookstores throughout Beijing have joined as affiliated exhibition sites, making it the country's first large-scale public cultural event centered on the participation of physical bookstores. 

Each participating bookstore is hosting its own themed activities from April 18 to May 17, including author talks, reading salons, and promotional discounts. 

In terms of book selection, participating bookstores present titles that combine intellectual depth, cultural richness, and international perspectives.