The 2026 Shanghai Book Fair will run from Aug 12 to 18 at the Shanghai Exhibition Center and Shanghai Book City. During the event, the 13th Shanghai International Literary Week will bring leading international authors to the city for literary exchanges and cross-cultural dialogue.

This year's book fair will bring together about 21 publishing groups and 380 publishing institutions from across China, showcasing publishing achievements nationwide.

In addition to the two main venues, sub-venues will be set up across the city's 16 districts, including commercial and cultural spaces, libraries, and bookstores.

A major highlight of the fair, the International Literary Week will feature a strong lineup of international guests, including British writer Jeanette Winterson, Spanish writer Sara Mesa, French writer Paul Halter, Portuguese writer Lidia Jorge, German scholar Sandra Richter, and film director Lautaro Bolano.

Smart services and artificial intelligence will be among the highlights of this year's fair. The event will launch a cloud service platform and an AI agent to provide online services for exhibitors and intelligent services for readers, while an online version of the Shanghai Book Fair will be introduced.

Through Alipay, the fair will expand its tap-based service to include book-browsing and reading features.

The fair will also collaborate with MiniMax and AgiBot to present new reading experiences, including AI-powered book recommendations, video generation based on book content, and robot-assisted reading solutions. These applications aim to integrate reading with AI technology and explore new possibilities for the publishing industry.

Bookstores from the Yangtze River Delta region will take part, each with a distinct theme and its own highlights.

Ticketing will include regular tickets and special package tickets. Standard tickets will continue to be priced at 10 yuan and 5 yuan, while package tickets will feature tie-ins with popular museum exhibitions, including On Top of the World Tree: Ancient Civilizations of the Americas and A House of Nobility: Aesthetics and Cultivation of Life in the Mawangdui Han Tombs, as well as selected cultural and creative products and stationery.

The fair will upgrade its outdoor cultural night market, which will feature cultural and creative products, intangible cultural heritage handicrafts, food, performances, and games.

Beyond the main venues, district-level sub-venues across Shanghai will host themed reading activities during the fair.

Source: Shanghai Observer