What does a work of literature sound like when being read by the writer who created it? Reciting is a form of literary expression.

At JIC bookstore in Beijing on Wednesday evening, nine famous writers from China and abroad, including Liu Zhenyun, A Lai, and Anatoly Kurchatkin, read excerpts from their books, accompanied by traditional Chinese music.

"I really enjoy this kind of events. In the past, we always had forums and analyzed books. But I think by just reading them, we can have an even closer and warmer communication with the readers," said writer A Lai.

"The book I read today is my new book, which is based on the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan 11 years ago. I think we don't have many works on such huge disasters, maybe because it's difficult to deal with that kind of grief. But I'm very happy that I found a way to handle this grief and despair and turn it into something warm and hopeful."

During the Beijing International Book Fair, over 40 literary activities will take place in bookstores across the city.

Under the theme "law of attraction," the literary salons will focus on the interaction between people, as well as between people and the world.

"The law of attraction is a physics term, but there is also a law of attraction in books and literature. It comes from people's hearts. Like in my book 'A Sentence is Worth Thousands,' it tells the story of ordinary people. Their words may not count much, but together they can form a torrent. The torrent in our hearts is even bigger than the torrent in the outer world," said writer Liu Zhenyun.

Since 2017, Liu has been the promotional ambassador for the Beijing International Book Fair. Now in its 26th year, the event has become the largest book fair in Asia and the second largest in the world. This year, over 1,000 events are being hosted.

"The Beijing book fair has one big difference compared with other big international book fairs like the ones at Frankfort, London and New York. Those book fairs are more focused on copyright transactions. So they are more like a place for trade and commerce. But the Beijing Book Fair pays more attention to the relationship and communication between books, writers and readers," Liu noted.

With these activities, the Beijing International Book Fair brings audiences a good chance to meet writers and immerse themselves in a world of literature.

(Cover: People attend the 2019 Beijing International Book Fair. /VCG Photo)