The 2026 Beijiang Book Fair is being held with great enthusiasm at the Inner Mongolia International Convention and Exhibition Center. The main exhibition area spans 18,000 square meters, bringing together over 100,000 high-quality titles from more than 300 publishers. Since its opening, the fair has seen tremendous foot traffic, with citizens purchasing books in quantities far exceeding their usual habits—a phenomenon netizens have jokingly dubbed a "restocking-style" buying spree. Images of "one-meter-long receipts" have gone viral across social media platforms in a continuous relay, boosting the popularity of this literary extravaganza to new heights. On August 15, a single "longest book purchase list" of as many as 1,038 volumes stunned attendees, fully demonstrating the profound atmosphere of nationwide reading.
Stepping into the 18,000-square-meter main venue, visitors are greeted by a sea of books and a bustling crowd. The extensive collection of premium titles, covering literature, social sciences, children's books, art, and more, makes book lovers feel as if they have entered a treasure trove. Long queues have formed at the checkout areas, with many citizens' shopping carts piled high. Holding a long receipt, local resident Wang Pu shared his joy with a smile: "I bought a total of 22 books for just over 1,200 yuan. It's a great deal with the discounts. This book fair has given us access to many books we wouldn't normally come across." He purchased quite a few science fiction novels for his children, hoping to cultivate their interest in reading.
As a "returning visitor" to the book fair, Shan Hongyu is well-qualified to speak about the discounts. "I came last year, and the discounts were already substantial. This year, I took the opportunity to buy even more," she said. In her shopping basket, the complete sets of The Silent Shell and The Complete Works of Wang Yangming, along with two books on the Pyramid Principle, were neatly stacked, totaling over 800 yuan in purchases. "I love reading in my daily life, and when I encounter an opportunity like this, I definitely stock up," she added. Local resident Wan Bo's "haul" was even more spectacular—a whole box of books. He calculated the haul for reporters, "Counting by sets, it's 18 sets; counting by individual books, there are three or four dozen. The original price was over 1,900 yuan, but with the discount, it came down to 950 yuan, saving almost 1,000 yuan. The discounts this year are truly massive." He purchased Those Things About the Ming Dynasty and historical reading materials for his children, noting, "It's something both children and adults can read—a win-win."
This literary extravaganza has not only ignited the enthusiasm of local residents but also attracted a large number of out-of-province visitors who traveled specifically to attend the fair, demonstrating its strong cultural reach. In the parking lot of the Inner Mongolia International Convention and Exhibition Center, vehicles with license plates from Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Shanxi, and Shaanxi are everywhere. Many out-of-town self-driving tourists took the opportunity to visit the fair and load books into their cars. Beside a car with a Jiangsu license plate, a family of four was organizing the books they had purchased at the fair. The parents carried two large bags of literature and history books, while the two children held sets of children's popular science books, loading them all into the trunk. Parent Zhou Qiang told reporters that their family of four had planned a self-driving tour in the northwest. While passing through Hohhot, they came across short videos about the Beijiang Book Fair on social media. Learning about the substantial discounts, they deliberately set aside more than half a day to specifically visit the fair and buy books. "Originally, we were just passing through for a trip, but we never expected this book fair to become the biggest surprise of our journey—the experience far exceeded our expectations." Zhou Qiang showed his long receipt, repeatedly marveling at the discounts. "We picked out over 30 books, covering literature and history, children's books, and essays. With the fair's coupons stacked, the prices are incredibly affordable. It's hard to find such big discounts back home in Jiangsu."
The residents' high enthusiasm for book purchasing is directly reflected in the impressive sales figures, which also highlights the robust vitality of the print book market. On the first day of the fair, CITIC Press Group sold 2,000 books with sales reaching 150,000 yuan, already surpassing the total sales of the previous year's fair over two days. The new release Quanzhou Treasure Hunt became a blockbuster hit at the fair, with 100 copies sold in a single day; titles such as Musk's Principles and This is China were also highly favored. To prepare for the weekend peak in foot traffic, the organizers launched an emergency restocking effort, dispatching nearly 500 books from Beijing to the venue to meet the strong demand from readers. The Inner Mongolia Publishing Group's special discount book zone was particularly popular, with books discounted to just 10% to 50% of their original retail price, truly allowing readers to find good books at low prices and effectively delivering cultural benefits to the public.
In an era where digital reading is becoming increasingly prevalent, the booming book fair has allowed people to once again experience deep engagement with printed books. Parent Fu Peng remarked with emotion at the scene, "Seeing so many people carefully selecting and reading books, and my child taking the initiative to ask for books, makes me very gratified." The "one-meter-long receipts" measure not just the length of book purchases, but also a city's love for and commitment to reading. Currently, the 2026 Beijiang Book Fair is in full swing. This literary extravaganza continues to await more book lovers, injecting a steady stream of cultural momentum into the city.