Period: Month  Year

Date

Event

2010-02-25 The book "Shi Jing" (the Book of Songs), which also won the "Most Beautiful Book in China" in 2009, won the title of the 2010 "Most Beautiful Book in the World" at the annual "Most Beautiful Book in the World" competition recently concluded in Leipzig, Germany.

The "Most Beautiful Book in the World" contest is annually held in Leipzig, Germany. There are altogether 634 kinds of books from 32 countries and regions around the world are sent to participate this year's competition.

"Shi Jing" is a major source of Chinese literature and has been respected by the ancient scholars for more than two thousand years. It has become a part of the Chinese civilization.

2010-02-25 The Reader's Digest Association, Inc ("RDA") announced that it has successfully completed its financial restructuring and has emerged from bankruptcy protection proceedings. RDA reduced its debt by 75%. Holders of RDA's senior secured debt will receive equity. After the completion of financial restructuring, RDA will gradually step away from the traditional digest-type journal business model.

Reader's Digest was once the world's best-selling magazine. Its circulation and advertisement declined sharply in recent years due to impact of internet and other new media. RDA's debt has reached 2.2 billion US dollars when it announced entering bankruptcy protection proceedings in mid-August last year. Reader's Digest also try to reduce it's circulation from 8 million reduced to 5.5 million, with annual serial number from 12 down to 10 to try to reduce the financial stress situation before filing for bankruptcy protection.

It is said that before RDA filed for bankruptcy to help itself, it reached restructuring agreement with the majority of creditors to exchange a large number of debt into shares. The major shareholder, Ripplewood Holdings LLC, made concession of partial operation right to group of lenders to exchange for the possibility of survival of RDA. At the same time, RDA made a number of initiatives to strengthen the company, including building its own digital database "E-Library" to integrate and classify all copyrights of group's magazines, books and audiovisual materials in order for internal reference and use worldwide.

2010-02-23 In order to encourage local cartoonist to create and study, National Central Library launches a "Comics House" at Arts and Audiovisual Center today (23).

"Comics House" has a total of more than 10,000 comic books, and award-winning audio-visual and multimedia materials. While the variety of comics is less than the average comics shop, or the Taipei Public Library, but the Comics House has title searching, graphic design software and other related services to highlight the features of comic books from different countries. It is hoped that more fans of comics can find inspiration here to create original comic characters of Taiwan in the future.

2010-02-07 Hon Hai Group Chairman, Terry Gou, said yesterday at a charity carnival held by the Yong Lin Charity Foundation that he made a donation of NT$300 million to Yong Lin Hope elementary schools to promote digital learning and expand the school. It is expected to see the result of e-book program in September.

Terry Gou said that most Hope elementary schools are in remote areas and lack of information; therefore they need e-books more than urban students. He hoped this donation will help to promote e-book digital learning, to narrow the gap between urban and rural areas.

Currently 60% of the world's e-books are manufactured by Hon Hai Group. Terry Gou is confident that the e-books he donated are world-class products. He also hopes that all cities can promote e-book program as soon as possible, so that children in Taiwan can have international competitiveness. Hon Hai Group and Yong Lin Foundation will cooperate with school teachers and the Ministry of Education to launch richer digital content.

2010-02-02 Taipei International Book Exhibition 2010 concluded successful on Feb 01. A total of 883 domestic and foreign publishers with 1803 booths participated the biggest even of publishing and culture. It drew record-breaking 520,000 visitors in sex days.

Tsai-chueh Lin, chairman of the Taipei Book Fair Foundation said that TIBE have developed "international communication", "professional publication", "Reading Life" multi-functional features. The reason that TIBE can reach grander scale is because it insisted these three features. The chairman handover ceremony was held at the closing press conference. Mr. Jung-Weg Wang, chairman of Yuan-Liou Publishing Co., Ltd, will be the new chairman of Taipei Book Fair Foundation. Government Information Office Minister Su Jun-pin also attended the closing ceremony and said that TIBE has become the most lively and biggest culture event in Asia.

2010-01-28 The winners of 29th National Cultural Award were announced. 96-year-old calligrapher Kuang-Pin Chang, famous writer Chun-Ming Hwang and "Father of Modern Taiwan Block Prints," Shiou-Ping Liao are all winners. Each one will be awarded NT$ 1 million.

Chun-Ming Hwang and Shiou-Ping Liao both won the National Arts Award together more than 10 years ago, and again both won the National Cultural Award together this time, so they called each other "classmate" happily. Kuang-Pin Chang, known as the "living dictionary of history of calligraphy and painting of the Yuan Dynasty", said he followed his dream all of his life and the most meaningful thing in life is to follow one's dream. In recent years, he spare no effort in promoting calligraphy.

Council for Cultural Affairs will use the whole year to honor contributions of the three winners through documentaries, seminars and other forms.

2010-01-27 2010 Taipei International Book Exhibition is held from January 27th to February 1st at World Trade Center, Hall 1, 2 and 3 for six days. France will be the Guest of Honor at TIBE 2010. This year's book fair showed outstanding achievements in the international cultural exchanges. There are exhibitors from 58 countries which is a brilliant record.

There are 883 publishers participate this year's TIBE with display of more than one million books. Among all exhibitors, 376 are domestic publishers, and 507 are foreign. The performance of international zone is remarkable. 120 US publishers bring the nation's 500 best-selling books for show. 55 Japanese publishers display Japanese contemporary fiction, crafts and other useful books. 12 South Korea publishers present Korean features and invite play writers to Taiwan to give lectures. 35 publishers from 14 countries in Africa arrange grand exhibition in international zone at Hall 1.

2010-01-20 The semiannual selection of Akutagawa Prize and the Naoki Prize has always been a major event of Japan's literary circle. The committee, however, did not select a winner of the Akutagawa Prize on the 14th, making the Japanese literary circle and the media outcry, because it is the first time no prize awarded since the 121st selection in 1999.

The 142nd Naoki Prize, Japan's prestigious literary award for popular literature, was given to Joh Sasaki and Kazufumi Shiraishi.

Juror Natsuki Ikezawa said the reason that the jurors found no winner for this session of Akutagawa Prize is "a lack of love from the nominated works, this is precisely the premise of writing fiction."

2010-01-20 Beijing Disanji Book Limited Company issues mobile phone text message on the 18th to announce the company's decision to cease operation on January 20, 2010. Many menebers felt surprised when received this message and there are rumors in the industry. The staff of the company confirmed this matter, but had no certain answer to whether what the company said "we will notice when and where to open" means its re-opening at another location.

Mainland media reported that this huge bookstore experience a series events of grand opening, price war, relocating, to current closure within a short three and a half years. Iits management staff also changed several times. By the end of last November, Guan Po, general manager of Disanji at that time, and other senior managers left. In October, Disanji Bookstore once known as Beijing's largest bookstore quietly moved away from the old site to the basement floor of Haohai Building, that is, location of origin Guo Lin Feng bookstore.

2010-01-12 Eight non-professional children books publishing houses in Mainland China established "The Chinese Children's Books Alliance" in Beijing to join hands to promote children's books' publishing and reading.

There are 512 children's book publishers in China. Publications of 34 professional children's books publishers account for about 30% market share. Publications of non-professional children's books publishers hold about 70% market share. In order to promote publishing and reading of children's books, The Publishers Association of China decided to establish two platforms, one is for professional children's books publishers and one is for non-professional children's books publishers.

In the future, in addition to realize the functions of professional children's books publishing platform, the alliance will hold the Chinese Children's Books Alliance Book Fair once a year, as well as children's book awards. The alliance will also hold seminars to exchange opinions on publication reform, management, development of topics, book quality, team-building, and social issues, and actively promote international cooperation and exchanges of children's books publishing industry.