Exploring the Datian Book Fair: A Treasure Trove of Reading Materials
Left the Datian Book Fair, I was pleasantly surprised by how interesting it actually was! There were numerous book stalls with various reading materials, and many books that truly stood out. Plus, there were quite a few books with cultural significance. Although I didnt buy anything in particular, if given fewer choices, I might have bought one or two, but then Id get stuck and not buy any more. Wait, no, actually I did end up buying one a from Guangxi Normal University Press, about Kafkas works. I wasnt sure what the German sentence on it meant, but I just felt that Kafka was fascinating. However, in China, Kafkas books are known to be and I saw many bookstores selling them as well. It seems like everyone is finding something mysterious and nonsensical in this society, a replica of Casa de Campo that Kafka supposedly wrote.
This book fair had numerous themes, including some specially curated s by publishers and others by bookstores. The differences between these were quite interesting to observe.
Guangxi Normal University Press published a list of best-sellers that are definitely worth checking out (for another kind of readers).
The Chinese Womens Book Press was selling books related to , which isnt as impressive as one might expect from .
Guangxi Normal University has produced an impressive number of high-quality books.
Both and have made a name for themselves by effectively marketing their products they truly deserve the nickname of .
There was also a section dedicated to , but only posters were available at .
Some of the publishers in seemed eager to participate despite not receiving official tasks. Their s were small and the books didnt stand out much.
The contrast in quality between and s is quite striking, but they ended up being placed together regardless.
Guangxi Normal Universitys most vibrant stall sold , and I bought a carrying Kafkas name. The seller was shouting something like in the .
I came across a ten-yuan , which is still available as an ?
The book fair had many visitors, and the atmosphere was lively. I even saw people taking notes and discussing books on during breaks. Besides all these , there were also English bookstores and used bookstores. The prices at the used bookstores seemed too good to be true, which confused me a lot. There was also a section for childrens , but I didnt see anything particularly fun.
There were some interesting things happening outside as well: a group of elementary or kindergarten students got a lecture about AI by (the speaker). This made me feel envious of my peers in Beijing who had access to books even at my age. I hadnt seen several good books yet.
With so many kinds of books and topics, the book fair attracted quite a crowd. The entire building was PACKED, and it wasnt easy to navigate without missing out on anything. Many tables were set up with big discounts ranging from to , while others displayed entire , like .
Some tables had books that didnt seem to belong there but still attracted people. For example, I know that reading or literature isnt something youd expect from s textbooks.
Despite the extensive selection, I only managed to walk through four and a half hours before getting tired and Decide to head back to . The book fair was huge, and I wasnt ready to leave just yet. Walking around for so long made me realize how lucky I was to be able to experience books in this environment without being limited by my own education.
As I walked towards the entrance of the , the air felt heavier with the scent of incense. There were many ordinary-looking old men and women in the park wearing , chatting, dancing, taking walks, cutting hair, playing chess, and using and . It felt like part of their daily routine.
The itself was bustling with visitors as well, including many foreign travel groups. As a building from the Qing Dynasty that houses both and secular architecture, it had an otherworldly charm about it. After entering through the gate and saying a quick prayer at , I proceeded up to . Before making my first wish, I made sure to say a prayer for everyones safety and happiness, both in this life and the next.
I can tell that I started getting into a superstitious mindset here (though I dont believe in any of this), but its not like Im automatically superstititious. Maybe I just tend to overthink things when surrounded by so many interesting people.
After leaving , the time was around five oclock. I wasnt feeling particularly hungry after all these books, so I decided to check out a nearby shop instead of continuing to explore the bookfair. The staff at the were really friendly and got me a drink quickly.
As I walked back towards the city center, I thought about how lucky I was to have access to such a wealth of knowledge in this environment. While Beijing has its share of learned people, it doesnt come with the kind of opportunities that other cities might offer. Even though Im a complete (though I dont even go to university), I know there are many more interesting things out there.
The journey back was exhausting after spending so long at the bookfair and arguing with myself about whether or not to buy another copy of later. Just as I finished reading it, I realized that Id borrowed it earlier in the day instead of buying it last night. But seeing it on the shelf made me realize how quickly time flies when youre absorbed in a good book.
With my plans for tonight already decided heading to to watch some filmsI didnt feel the least bit sad about not staying at the bookfair. Ive always been a myself, so sometimes its hard to adapt to new environments. This experience was a reminder that there are still many beautiful things out there waiting to be discovered.
As for what Id do if I were in this situation if I had known about this bookfair earlier and if I hadnt already made my decisionI think I would have taken the opportunity to buy more books. The way ran his was truly inspiring, but I also have a feeling that he wouldnt have been able to do it without some help from his colleagues.
The thought of buying another copy of is still fresh in my mind, though. Its not every day you get to see something so well-made and yet so affordable. Im glad I wasnt too disappointed with myself for skipping out on that oneafter all, Ive already seen a lot more interesting books at this fair.
Overall, it was a fantastic experience! Walking through the doors of this amazing bookfair transported me back to my childhood when I used to collect stories and games from different places. Now that Im much older, I dont think about or as I once did; theyre just one more way to spend time.
As for the rest of the bookfair I should probably stop here since Ive already spent far too much time on this thought process. But if youre reading this, know that theres still a lot more to come!
