Chinese representatives will be the guests of honor taking part in next year's Salon du Livre Paris, an annual March event dedicated to the book trade, the General Administration of Press and Publication has announced.

The salon is actually a book fair, an exceptional meeting place with 1,200 publishers from around the world and more than 230,000 fairgoers.

China's participation in the salon is part of the cultural activities of the 2003-04 Chinese Culture Year in France. It is expected to help promote Chinese books and publishing in the world, paving the way for Chinese books to get into the mainstream society in France as well as in other European countries.

Nearly 10,000 Chinese titles, selected from books published in China in recent years, will be exhibited between March 19 and 24.

Among those, 100 of the titles will be translated into French and published in France with donations from China.

In order to fit the themes of the "Chinese Culture Year" -- "Old China, Colorful China and Modern China" -- the selected books will also fall into these three categories and are expected to give French book-lovers a comprehensive look at Chinese literature.

A total of 30 Chinese writers will also be invited to attend the event. According to the China Writers' Association, authors who enjoy international recognition and whose works have been translated into French will be given priority.

Meanwhile, an exhibition featuring China's long publishing history and latest developments will also be held.

(China Daily September 24, 2003)