Augmented Reality (AR) technology and many other advanced forms of reading are making the 2019 Shanghai Book Fair stand out.

Children’s education takes up a critical part of digital reading at this year’s Shanghai Book Fair. “Some of the books in the Children’s Books Hall have some QR codes, so that children can scan them  for detailed information. They can also understand the meaning of an English word through a talking pen. This way, they can learn knowledge through more forms of multimedia,” said Kong Tong, a children’s book author.

At the annual book fair, stands of AR books are surrounded by interested children. If they scan one book with their phones, a three-dimensional dinosaur or insect will show up on the screen.

Another audio book is the newly published “Shortest History of Shanghai”, written by Ge Jianxiong, a professor from Fudan University. It is available in two versions, featuring Mandarin and Shanghai dialects respectively. According to Professor Ge, he aims to tell the closest history of Shanghai in a way that is most familiar to people. He said it was the most effective way to impress the readers in the shortest time.

Yu Dianli, general manager of the Commercial Press, said that though these new ways of reading are technically advanced, from the perspective of pictures and sounds, they are also kind of returning to the most acceptable way of knowledge dissemination for common people and attracting more readers into the world of books.

“Many audiences still prefer a more common way of communication. In fact, the oldest instinct of human beings is to communicate by looking at pictures and spreading oral legends before the creation of characters. To a large extent, the way that sounds and paintings transmit bears the role of popularization and stimulates more people's interests,” said Yu.

The annual Shanghai Bookfair is always an icon in the publication industry and is becoming more and more attractive and innovative. Since Shanghai Century Publishing (Group) Co., Ltd opened a digital hall in the Shanghai Book Fair four years ago, electronic books, audio books, AR interactive experiences and other new media ways of reading are have been all the rage, with their role of spreading knowledge becoming more important as well.