Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) presided over the opening yesterday of the 2007 Taipei International Book Exhibition at the Taipei World Trade Center.
In his address, Su encouraged people to read good books to absorb other people's wisdom, saying that by spending half a day reading, one may be able to obtain knowledge that the writer has spent a lifetime acquiring.
RUSSIAN THEME
PHOTO: CNA
The theme of this year's fair is Russian literature, culture, philosophy and lifestyle.
Among the more interesting items on display at the Russian pavilion are several "mini book" copies of Russian writer Anton Chekhov's (1860-1904) classic short story A Chameleon.
Meanwhile, to promote reading across Taiwan, the exhibition's organizer -- the Taipei Book Fair Foundation -- has also launched various activities in cooperation with local libraries and bookstores.
ILAN COUNTY OUTREACH
The foundation said that this year was the first time it had worked with the Ilan County Government's education bureau to promote reading for schoolchildren in remote areas of the county.
Government Information Office Minister Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦); Council for Cultural Affairs Minister Chiu Kun-liang (邱坤良); Sergey Filatov, president of Russia's Foundation of Social-Economic Intelligent Programs; and Sergey Gubarv, director of the Moscow-Taipei Economic and Cultural Coordination Commission, were among the guests of honor at yesterday's ceremony.
Officials said a total of 711 domestic and foreign businesses from 40 countries are taking part in the exhibition.
The exhibition will run through Sunday.
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