The Ministry of Culture's Kuala Lumpur office unveiled the Taiwan pavilion at BookFest Malaysia 2019 with an opening ceremony on June 1 that saw ROC Representative to Malaysia Anne Hung (洪慧珠) gift several excellent Taiwanese publications to dignitaries representing the Mini Oasis Library and Sultan Idris Education University.
Representative Hung noted that Southeast Asian markets have been very receptive to original works published by Taiwan in recent years, with Malaysia becoming a forerunner in exchanges with Taiwan through trade, investment, tourism, education, and culture.
She explained that the Taiwan pavilion was planned around the theme of "Made by Hipsters: Made in Taiwan" to showcase some 15,000 volumes from over 100 participating publishers, and that the pavilion’s curatorial emphasis is on works written or compiled by young Taiwanese artists.
Hung also introduced National Museum of Taiwan Literature Director Su Shou-bin (蘇碩斌), mythology expert Ho Ching-yao (何敬堯), writer Yan Shu-xia (言叔夏), illustrator-editor Huang Pei-shan (黃珮珊), and independent publisher Sharky Chen (陳夏民), who flew to Malaysia to greet readers at the Kuala Lumpur book fair running through June 9.
Representative Hung also called attention to one of the unique pavilion features this year — "The Zine Workshop," which is dedicated to self-published works that speak volumes about Taiwan's literary creativity. Popular hipster magazines will also be on display to present the vigor and lifestyle of Taiwan's creative sector, she added.
The Taiwan pavilion will also present reading materials for digital devices, foreign translations of Taiwanese literature, and copyright workshops. Come by 2B22-2B33 of BookFest Malaysia 2019 for a taste of Taiwan's hipster-themed literary selection.