In a joint effort by the Ministry of Culture and the Taichung City Government, the inaugural Taiwan International Children & Youth Book Fair will be held from September 18 to 21 at the Taichung International Exhibition Center. Today (19th), the Ministry of Culture unveiled the various featured exhibition zones. As the host city, Taichung has carefully curated the “Taichung-Themed City Pavilion,” incorporating the “Taichung Encyclopedia” book selection concept and planning multiple Taichung-exclusive events to showcase local cultural characteristics and the vibrancy of literary engagement. The Taichung City Government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau invites readers nationwide to look forward to the exciting debut of the Themed City Pavilion.
“Reading is the most beautiful cityscape of Taichung!” said Cultural Affairs Bureau Director Chen Chia-chun. She emphasized that education, culture, and reading have always been key priorities for the Taichung City Government. Taichung is honored to serve as the Themed City for the inaugural Taiwan International Children & Youth Book Fair, which not only recognizes the city’s long-standing efforts to promote reading but also allows Taichung’s rich reading culture to be seen by a wider audience. She further noted that picture books and bridge books for adolescents are essential starting points for cultivating children’s reading skills, a factor that is especially critical in today’s digital era.
Upholding the principle that “reading literacy is a city’s competitiveness,” the Taichung City Government continues to advance its reading policies. Efforts include strengthening library infrastructure, promoting diverse reading resources, and implementing the “Taichung Reading Spot” program in collaboration with various bureaus and departments, which has already been supported by over one hundred schools. The Taichung-Themed City Pavilion at the book fair showcases the city’s diversity through aspects such as mountains and rivers, culture, history, ecology, and hydrology. The pavilion aims to highlight Taichung’s achievements in promoting reading, encouraging more children to engage with books, and collectively fostering a city of reading culture.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau emphasized that the city government invests NT$100 million annually in book acquisitions to enhance public library collections, ensuring new books are available every month. Efforts also focus on enriching resources in multicultural, multilingual, and digital formats. Through 46 libraries and seven mobile libraries, Reading Spots and Indigenous Cultural Health Centers have been established, and other locations, spreading a love of reading throughout Taichung. Last year, the Taichung Public Library received double gold awards in both the Asia-Pacific Sustainability Action Awards and the Taiwan Sustainability Action Awards—for its “Urban Sustainable Reading” initiative. This year, the Taichung Public Library - Waipu Branch and the Hsu Liang-yu Library have also been honored with the FIABCI-Taiwan Real Estate Excellence Awards.
In addition, the Education Bureau provides subsidies for schools to acquire books and promotes the establishment of community reading centers, creating high-quality reading spaces shared by students, teachers, and the communities. Taichung has consistently ranked among the top in the Ministry of Education’s appraisal of outstanding schools, organizations, and individuals promoting reading. Through cross-departmental collaboration, the city government has received multiple recognitions from the central authorities, further embedding a culture of reading into the daily lives of its citizens.
According to the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the inaugural “Taichung-Themed City Pavilion” was curated in collaboration with the local arts team Glitch, under the theme “Starting from the Forest: A Fantastical Journey Through Pages.” The theme not only resonates with upcoming international-standard landmarks such as the Taichung Green Museumbrary and Children’s Book Forest of Taichung, symbolizing a journey beginning from the forest, but also incorporates the concept of “starting reading from zero,” reflecting the achievements of the city government’s reading promotion policies.
The book selection was curated around the “Taichung Encyclopedia” concept, organized into five subthemes: Taichung Book Selection × “A Fantastical Journey Through Pages” Interactive Installations, Belief and Culture, Humanities Stories, Hydrology and Ecology, and Landscapes of Time. Hundreds of carefully selected books will be on display, inviting readers to explore the cultural fabric of Taichung through reading and experience the city’s diverse charm.
The pavilion will also host 12 special events during the book fair, including lectures by renowned Taichung literary figures such as Liu Ka-shiang, Kan Yao-ming, Wu Xiao-le, and Liglav A-wu. Popular children’s book authors, including Yan Zhi-hao, Cat Fish, Huang Yu-qin, Tao Le-di, Zhe Ye, and Water Brain, will hold book launches one by one. Additional activities include handmade book workshops and a reading theater presentation co-organized with the Taiwan Chen Qian-wu Literature Association. To accommodate the public, three sessions will be held for applying for the “Green Museumbrary ×Bugcat Capoo” special edition library cards.
In addition, to support the Children & Youth Book Fair in Taichung, the Taichung Public Library will host storytelling performances by storytelling theater troupes at the Dadu, Longjing, and Wuri branches on August 30, September 7, and September 13. In September, the North District, Lee Ko-Yung, Shangfeng, Wuri, and Longjing branches will simultaneously feature themed exhibitions from the book fair. The public is warmly invited to attend.