Books, bags and lots more fun

One of China's biggest annual publishing events draws crowds from all over the country in search of something new, Zhang Kun reports.

The 20th Shanghai Book Fair, one of China's largest annual fairs for readers and the publishing industry, recently took place at the Shanghai Exhibition Center, attracting visitors from all over the country. It wrapped up on Tuesday after a 7-day run, during which it received more than 40,000 visitors a day over a busy weekend period.

At the main exhibition venue, people browsed through the 160,000-odd books being sold by 360 publishing houses, and attended book events for their favorite authors from China and abroad.

An Wenwen from Chongqing took an early flight on Saturday morning as she wanted to have a face-to-face meeting with her favorite authors. "Hearing their thoughts about books and writing may inspire me more when I read their books," said the young woman, who returned to Chongqing later the same night.