For the first time, Chinese publishing and cultural creative products made a collective appearance at an overseas book fair, captivating international readers with tangible Chinese stories.

At the recently concluded 2026 London Book Fair, a warm current from the East quietly flowed. The Publishing and Cultural Creativity Working Committee of the China Publishers Association (hereinafter referred to as the Publishing and Cultural Creativity Committee) made its debut at the London Book Fair, joining hands with over 60 domestic publishing houses to showcase more than 1,000 exquisite cultural and creative products under the theme of "Chinese Publishing and Cultural Creativity Goods." These products ranged from classic cultural IPs to items embodying Eastern aesthetics, from traditional patterns to modern designs, combining cultural heritage with a touch of everyday life, attracting widespread attention from overseas exhibitors, readers, and international publishing peers. The "Chinese Publishing and Cultural Creativity Goods" booth drew the attention of international readers. At the close of the book fair, Zhang Ruokai, Deputy Secretary-General of the Publishing and Cultural Creativity Committee of the China Publishers Association and Director of the Business Development Department of Foreign Languages ​​Press, gave an exclusive interview to this reporter, discussing the highlights of the participation, overseas response, cooperative achievements, and future plans.

Q: This was the Publishing and Cultural Creativity Committee's first appearance at the London Book Fair. What preparations did we make for this "debut"?

Zhang Ruokai: Although this is our first appearance at the London Book Fair, we are not starting from scratch. Since its establishment, the Publishing and Cultural Creativity Committee has been committed to telling China's story through cultural and creative products. We have accumulated relevant experience in domestic events such as the "Belt and Road" Roundtable and the Beijing Book Fair. This time, through a mechanism of recommendations from member units and expert selection, we mobilized more than 100 member units of the Publishing and Cultural Creativity Committee to bring together their most representative cultural and creative products of outstanding Chinese culture. The exhibits were required to have both Chinese cultural characteristics and a global perspective. In addition, we are also advancing the preliminary work of the "Cloud Silk Road" Publishing and Cultural Creativity Overseas Comprehensive Service Platform. We will utilize the platform's overseas service capabilities to promote the exhibits across borders, laying a solid online foundation for the offline exhibition, while also exploring pathways for implementation in overseas physical bookstores. The "Chinese Publishing and Cultural Creativity Goodies" section will become a brand project of the China Foreign Languages ​​Publishing Administration and the Publishing and Cultural Creativity Committee of the China Publishers Association, continuously improving and developing, pooling the strength of publishing and cultural creativity, and making good use of the opportunities presented by international book fairs and cultural exchange activities to play a unique role as an international communication platform.

Q: What was the feedback like? Which types of products did overseas readers and exhibitors prefer?

Zhang Ruokai: The feedback was very good; the centralized exhibition definitely attracted a lot of people. Overseas readers and exhibitors favored products that were "derived from classics and integrated into daily life," which generally fell into two categories: One category consisted of cultural and creative products featuring classic Chinese traditional cultural elements. These included products based on characters from ancient Chinese mythology, the Four Great Classical Novels (Sun Wukong, the Liangshan heroes, and the Twelve Beauties of Jinling), as well as Chinese calligraphy and painting. These products resonated with overseas readers due to their existing cultural background. By showcasing characters and scenes they liked, they bridged the gap between Chinese culture and their audience. The other category consisted of practical cultural and creative products that showcased the essence of Eastern aesthetics. Examples include hair accessories designed with elements extracted from museum exhibits, book lamps depicting scenes from *Dream of the Red Chamber*, nine-colored deer scarves featuring elements from Dunhuang murals, and plush pendants shaped like pandas reading and drinking milk tea. These subtly demonstrated the modern vitality of traditional Chinese aesthetics and presented an approachable and relatable image of China.

Q: Besides receiving positive reviews, have any substantial cooperation intentions been reached?

Zhang Ruokai: Yes. Staff from overseas independent bookstores and publishing houses have already placed orders for cultural and creative products, commissioned us for customized production, and even reached cooperation intentions to import copyrights through our cultural and creative products. It can be said that cultural and creative products have also driven a two-way empowerment of book copyrights. However, we still need to continuously improve in terms of the internationalization and professionalization of our cultural and creative product publishing. While foreign clients are impressed by our innovative cultural and creative products, they are also very professional and "picky." They have high requirements for the craftsmanship and materials of the products. Currently, our product manuals, ordering models, and basic work such as foreign language descriptions of product craftsmanship, dimensions, materials, and standards on product packaging are not standardized enough, and there is still much room for improvement in spatial display and exhibition effects.

Q: In the past, the London Book Fair focused more on copyright trade. This time, we have pushed "cultural and creative products" to the forefront on a large scale. What are the considerations behind this?

Zhang Ruokai: This year's government work report clearly stated that "more cultural enterprises and excellent cultural products are encouraged to go global." The London Book Fair, the first major international book fair of the year, is not only a venue for copyright transactions and a trendsetter for the publishing industry, but also a forefront of cultural and creative exchange. Traditional "textual output" relies on classic works and the crossing of translation and reading habits, which has a high barrier to entry. "Cultural and aesthetic output," on the other hand, is a "soft landing." Cultural and creative products are a condensation of culture; they directly enter the lives of overseas consumers in visual, tactile, and everyday forms. Our promotion of large-scale overseas expansion of "publishing cultural and creative products" is precisely to build a system for disseminating "tangible Chinese stories," allowing overseas audiences to first appreciate an object, then develop an interest in exploring the literature and thought behind it, achieving an emotional sublimation from "understanding" to "closeness."

Q: Compared to books, what unique advantages do cultural and creative products have in telling Chinese stories effectively?

Zhang Ruokai: The biggest advantage is "low-context communication and high emotional connection." Books require language, while cultural and creative products themselves are the medium. For example, the rotating refrigerator magnets with oracle bone script, or the plush toys of Lu Xun, which we brought this time, allow even those who don't understand Chinese to immediately perceive Chinese cultural symbols. Secondly, there's the element of companionship in daily life. A book might be returned to the shelf after reading, but a silk scarf or a bookmark is used every day. This frequent companionship allows Chinese cultural symbols to subtly embed themselves into people's daily lives. Of course, we also realize that cultural and creative products should consider international themes from the very beginning of their development and design process. Many cultural and creative products have profound cultural connotations behind their "memes" and "plots," and if internationalization isn't considered during the design phase, overseas readers will find it difficult to understand.

Q: After this concentrated showcase, how will the Publishing and Cultural Creativity Working Committee utilize the experience and resources accumulated this time to establish a long-term mechanism to ensure that "high-quality Chinese publishing and cultural creative products" continuously and regularly enter the mainstream overseas market?

Zhang Ruokai: This London Book Fair is not the end, but a beginning. We will utilize the practical experience and overseas channel resources accumulated this time, focusing on establishing a long-term mechanism based on the "Cloud Silk Road" publishing and cultural creative export comprehensive service platform launched at the beginning of the year. This is a cross-border e-commerce independent website and docking platform focused on publishing and cultural creative products. In the future, we plan to explore a closed loop suitable for cultural and creative products: "offline display, online transaction; short-term exhibition, long-term operation." Overseas exhibitors and readers who see "good products" at the book fair can continuously place orders on the "Cloud Silk Road" platform, consign them to overseas bookstores, and negotiate licensing collaborations. Simultaneously, we will collect feedback from overseas readers to inform our cultural and creative product development and design, enabling us to create "good Chinese products" that better meet the needs of the international market, truly realizing the normalized and sustainable overseas expansion of Chinese cultural IP.