The 31st Taipei International Book Exhibition (TiBE), organized by the Ministry of Culture and hosted by the Taipei Book Fair Foundation (TBFF), kicked off on Jan. 31 and will run through Feb. 5 at the Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1 in Taipei.
With Poland serving as the guest of honor, the exhibition sections of the 2023 edition, which is themed "The Multiverse of Reading," are designed to provide a multi-sensory experience for visitors, while attempting to apply the practices of net zero emissions and low carbon economy.
Those who attended the opening ceremony included President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Culture Minister Shih Che, Polish Office in Taipei director Cyryl Kozaczewski, Polish Book Institute director Dariusz Jaworski, TBFF chairperson Isabella Wu Yun-yi (吳韻儀), Ambassadors to Taiwan from different countries, book publishing professionals from home and abroad, and other distinguished guests.
Addressing the ceremony, President Tsai stated that this year's exhibition theme is in line with the experience that reading brings us. Through reading, we can easily explore a variety of knowledge in different domains, which is similar to how astronauts make discoveries when they explore planets. As the platform gathers a great amount of knowledge in different areas, it is hoped that TiBE can become an important base for cultural exchanges between Taiwan and other countries.
Following the ceremony, Minister Shih presented the Golden Butterfly Awards and book fair grand prizes to the winners. In his speech, he pointed out that with the support of President Tsai, MOC has annually spent NT$370 million for the past seven years to assist Taiwanese publishers. In the future, the Ministry will put in more effort to support original content creation.
In a pre-recorded video, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Culture Minister Piotr Gliński said that culture is one of the best ways to enhance mutual understanding between countries, therefore he is delighted to introduce Polish literature at TiBE. It not only promotes cultural exchange between the two countries, but is also the best opportunity to showcase the diversity of Polish books. Besides Polish literature, Taiwanese readers are invited to experience a series of cultural activities at the Poland Pavilion to gain a deeper understanding of Polish culture.
If you would like to receive information about the lectures and forums, please download the TiBE APP or visit TiBE's official website.