Taiwan will serve as the Guest of Honor of the Bangkok International Book Fair, which will run from March 29 through April 8 this year, for the second time since 2007.
Curated by album cover designer Xiao Qing-yang (蕭青陽), the Taiwan Pavilion will use Taiwan and Southeast Asia’s shared traditional culture of glove puppetry to present images of books and love under the theme “Tai-Thai Reading.”
Culture Minister Cheng Li-chiun stated that the “Tai-Thai Reading” theme hopes to express the friendship and cultural similarities between Taiwan and Thailand. Though the two countries speak different languages, reading enables individuals from the two nations to connect and enrich each other culturally.
This year, the Taiwan-theme section will be curated in collaboration with government sectors including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tourism Bureau, and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand to showcase Taiwan’s diverse traditions and cultures through high-tech displays.
The exhibition will also integrate the Thai language to allow Thai audiences to learn about Taiwan culture through their native language.
The international copyright section will feature a total of 1,034 original Taiwan books from 156 publishers, and hold a forum inviting Thai publishers, distributors, and e-commerce companies to share information about the situation of the Thai publishing industry and the possibilities of Thai literature with Taiwanese publishers.
The forum seeks to strengthen collaboration and mutual advantages between publishers of the two nations through talent exchanges, resource sharing, and regional connections.
The CCC (Creative Comic Collection) section will present Taiwan history and culture by combining comic books with AR and Google Tango technology to help Thai audiences experience scenes from Taiwan comic books. Taiwanese landscape-themed virtual sky lanterns will also be available for the public to write down their wishes.
In addition to books, the Ministry will also hold more than 50 cultural forums and performances such as Taiwan Day, Taiwan Literature Festival, a music concert, and film screenings for Thai and international visitors to experience Taiwan’s everyday aesthetics.
The music concert will feature Golden Melody Award-winning Hakka singer Wing (羅文裕), Paiwan singer Tai Siao-chun (戴曉君), and the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra.
The film screenings will showcase ten films including “Din Tao: Leader of the Parade (陣頭),” “All Because of Love (癡情男子漢),” “Mon Mon Mon Monsters (報告老師!怪怪怪怪物!),” “The Tag-Along 2 (紅衣小女孩2),” and “Who Killed Cock Robin (目擊者).”
A post-screening program will also invite deputy troupe leader Li Kuang-cheng (李光正) of Chio-Tian Folk Drums & Arts Troupe (九天民俗技藝團), author Chi Ta-wei (紀大偉), director Yu Wei-yen (余為彥) and film critics to discuss the shown films.
2018 Bangkok International Book Fair
- Date: March 29 – April 8, 2018
- Venue: Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre
- Address: 60 Ratchadaphisek Rd, Khwaeng Khlong Toei, Khet Khlong Toei, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10110, Thailand
- Site: VisionThai
Featured Taiwan Authors
- Chi Ta-wei (紀大偉)
- He Jing-yao (何敬堯)
- Zhang Xi (張西)
- Lin Li-qing (林立青)
- Hsu Yu-rong (許育榮)
- Hou Wen-yong (侯文詠)
- Chen Mei-yen (陳美燕)
- Chiou Cheng-zong (邱承宗)
- Sakinu Yalonglong (亞榮隆‧撒可努)