(29 Aug) – It started today, and will run until September 2, the Beijing International Book Fair, that will host a corporate exhibition organized by the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE), in collaboration with the Italian Publishers Association (AIE), for the promotion abroad and the internationalization of Italian companies. The fair, now at its 19th edition, will be hosted by the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing and it’s the main event for rights exchange in Asia. Ten Italian publishers will present their most significant titles which will be put on show in the Italian Pavilion: children's books including scientific texts, art and travel, history and lifestyle, fiction and language teaching books. The ICE participates in the Book Fair since 2006, and from that the Italian rights sold in Asia has grown steadily. Children’s books, in particular, have a huge potential, and now represent 21% of total Italian books sale. In addition to children's literature (author such as Rodari, Munari, Pitzorno and Piumini, and global brands, such as the Winx and Geronimo Stilton), it’s possible to find publications of art, architecture and design, in which Italian brands still stand for quality and innovation. Finally, the narrative, which has seen the Chinese market received with great interest not only classic but also contemporary Italian authors such as Umberto Eco, Tiziano Scarpa, Roberto Saviano and Susanna Tamaro. (Red)

THE EXHIBITION "THE GARDENS OF SILK"
The Italian pavilion at the Beijing International Book Fair also hosts the exhibition “Giardini di Seta” (Gardens of silk), a selection of scarves designed by Vittorio Accorsero (one of the protagonists of Italian illustration from the '20s to the '50s) for Gucci and worn by female icons such as Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Onassis and Monica Vitti. Organized by Agave Editions, the exhibition is a bridge between Italian publishing and design, the art of printing on silk and Italian silk factory, areas of particular interest in China. In the Book Fair in Beijing, there will be scarves of particular interest for the Chinese market, models proposing images from medieval scenes, floral motifs inspired by Botticelli's Primavera and decorative elements influenced by Chinese tradition.