Jan. 20 Update: To prioritize public health amidst the global pandemic, the physical Taipei International Book Exhibition originally slated for Jan. 26-31 will be cancelled. Its virtual counterpart, launched on Dec. 29, 2020, will however continue.
The Taipei International Book Exhibition (TiBE) 2021 will start on Jan. 26 and last until Jan. 31 at Exhibition Hall 1 of the Taipei World Trade Center.
TiBE 2021 will be a combination of physical and virtual events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Deputy Director Chu Yu-ying of the Department of Humanities and Publications of the Ministry of Culture announced at a press conference on Dec. 29.
She added that while TiBE 2020 in May 2020 was moved online due to concerns about COVID-19, the exhibition next year will integrate physical and virtual events based on the experience of online exhibition in 2020. The online exhibition of TiBE 2021 already started on Dec. 29.
Expressing the hope that TiBE may help Taiwan reach the global community, Chu pointed out that TiBE will be a forerunner to hold a physical book show at a time when the pandemic has caused cancellation of many exhibitions.
Chairman Lin Xun-min (林訓民) of the Taipei Book Fair Foundation thanked the Ministry of Culture for its support towards TiBE, citing it as the biggest encouragement for the publishing community.
Same as last year, South Korea is the theme country of TiBE 2021, and the Korean Publishers Association and Literature Translation Institute of Korea are jointly organizing the national stall. In a pre-recorded video played at the press conference, Chul-ho Yoon, President of Korean Publishers Association, spoke highly of TiBE being able to hold physical book exhibition. He pointed out that TiBE 2021 as a physical exhibition is significant in light of the struggles of publishing industries around the world in the face of an unprecedented COVID-19 threat.
The online exhibition which kicked off on Dec. 29 encompasses four major sections —"Themed Exhibitions Online," "Reading Salons Online," "Online Book Show," and "Reading News."
The "Themed Exhibitions Online" section presents three themed exhibitions-- "Illustrators for Gianni Rodari Italian excellence," "2021 TiBE Book Prize," and "2021 Golden Butterfly Award."
"Illustrators for Gianni Rodari. Italian Excellence" was launched to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of Gianna Rodari (1920 – 1980), one of Italy's most cherished writers of children's books. Twenty-one famous Italian illustrators are invited to present their works at the online event.
The "Reading Salons Online" section is split into two parts — "TiBE Selections" and "Publisher Recommendations." "TiBE Selections" showcases author meetings and salon events in online video format, including interviews with TiBE Awards laureates, well-known authors, illustrators, and comic artists.
The "Online Book Show" section presents photos and introductions of more than 1,000 highlighted publications, providing readers with a quick-and-easy method to find the most recommended books from publishers of different fields and explore new genres and book selections.
The "Reading News" section shares information about reading activities and book launches held by publishing houses, bookstores, and arts and cultural associations in different Taiwanese cities during the period of the online book fair.