Chinese books are pictured at the Chinese book exhibition booth at the Bangkok International Book Fair 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, March 27, 2026.(Xinhua/Sun Weitong)
by Liu Yang, Chen Qianci, Chang Tiantong
BANGKOK, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Wandering around the Chinese book exhibition booth at the Bangkok International Book Fair 2026, Parichat Jomklin, a freshman in Thailand's Sripatum University, focused her gaze on a Chinese novel featuring ancient-style detective stories.
After flipping through a few pages, she turned to the staff to purchase this book without hesitation.
"I want to improve my Chinese skills by reading original books. Although I can't fully understand everything now, I believe it will help me to gradually improve my language abilities over time," said Parichat, who majors in Business Chinese.
Fascinated by the Chinese culture and China's economic and social achievements, flocks of readers came for over 700 Chinese books at the Chinese book exhibition booth, which gathered a dozen Chinese publishing houses to open a window for international publishers and Thai readers to understand China.
"Our team is getting stronger and occupies a bigger booth this year," said Li Yan, organizer of participating Chinese publishing houses, noting that they brought more than 500 types of books that meet the local market demands in Thailand and are eligible for copyright exports, aiming to present the latest outcomes of the Chinese publishing industry.
Wang Lei, vice general manager of China Renmin University Press, who participated in the book fair for the first time, said that during negotiations with Thai counterparts, he learned that they are particularly interested in topics such as artificial intelligence, big data, and psychology.
He plans to strengthen contacts and cooperation with counterpart publishing houses of local universities in the future. "It would be a good way to promote cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Thailand," he said.
The 12-day book fair, which ends on April 6, witnessed the prosperity of the Thai version of Chinese books, ranging from online literature to children's books.
Thailand's Mangmoom Culture Co. Ltd., focusing on the publication of children's books and translated literature, exhibited many Thai versions of Chinese picture books and novels.
Among them, the hardcover picture book "I Want to Be a Doctor" with interactive designs, introduced from China by the company, gained popularity among Thai parents.
Local resident Trairat and his wife took a liking to the picture book for its excellent design at a glance, and immediately paid the money.
"I work with children, so the book can not only help me with the work, but also be used for my own child," said Trairat, who came to the book fair every year.
Yu Chunhua, deputy general manager of Thailand's publishing house Hongsamut, who has participated in book fairs many times, found that in recent years, Chinese books on encyclopedias and history have also drawn attention among Thai readers, which triggered his inspiration.
Hongsamut released the Thai version of a book on Chinese history during this year's book fair and received a warm response from local readers.
"This reflects Thai readers' desire to further explore Chinese culture," Yu said. ■
Chinese books are pictured at the Chinese book exhibition booth at the Bangkok International Book Fair 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, March 27, 2026.(Xinhua/Sun Weitong)
