Representative Ta-Tung J. Chang, alongside His Excellency Ong Ye Kung, Singapore’s Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) & Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence, and Mr. Anthony Tan Kang Uei, Executive Vice-President of Singapore Press Holding’s Chinese Media Group and Media Strategy & Analytics Division, opened the Taiwan Pavilion at Singapore Book Fair 2016 on 4 June 2016. Representative Chang also took the occasion to present the winning works of the Golden Tripod Awards and the Golden Comic Awards to the Singapore National Library Board, on the behalf of Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture.
Themed "A Touch of Imagination; Books from Taiwan", the Taiwan Pavilion aims to provide new insights and imagination of Taiwan through the literary works of various Taiwan writers. With over 20,000 books on show by more than 300 publishers, Taiwan’s strong presence at the book fair is a demonstration of its soft power. Linking Publishing Co., which was in charge of the Taiwan Pavilion, also held seminars on publishing rights to strengthen cooperation between publishers in Taiwan and Singapore.
Additionally, the Taiwan Pavilion hosted a “Taiwan Literature Festival” where Taiwan authors share their passion for reading and writing with readers and aspiring writers in Singapore. One of the highlights of the fair was the appearance of Mr. Kenneth Pai Hsien-Yung, a renowned Taiwan writer who is a pioneering figure in the Taiwan's modernist literary movement. Speaking on the topic, "The Tragic Consciousness of The Story of the Stone: the Importance of the Last Forty Chapters", Mr. Pai’s session saw a full house audience of over 600 persons, bringing a wonderful close to the Book Fair.
Organized by the Singapore Press Holding's Chinese Media Group, the Singapore Book Fair is in its 31st year this year. Held from 3 to 9 June, the Singapore Book Fair 2016 attracted 180,000 visitors.
