The annual Shanghai Book Fair opens at the Shanghai Exhibition Center, the major venue of the event, on Aug 14. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2024 Shanghai Book Fair, the largest book fair in the city, opened at the Shanghai Exhibition Center on Aug 14.

This year marks the 20th installment of the annual festival for readers and book-related industries. More than 1,000 activities, such as book launches, authors' lectures and so on, are scheduled to take place during the fair, which will go on to Aug 20.

Jiangsu province is the guest of honor at this year fair, and publishers from Jiangsu province are featured in the central main hall of the center.

"Shanghai Book Fair is really a great attraction to publishers, readers and authors from all over China," said Xu Hai, editor-in-chief of Jiangsu Phoenix Publishing & Media Group Co.

Aside from the 30,000 titles of books showcased at the main exhibition, publishers are presenting a wide range of merchandise at the fair this year, as a new means to engage readers.