Bookworms are gathering in Shanghai to celebrate the festival of reading.

The 2020 Shanghai Book Fair was unveiled on Wednesday at Shanghai Exhibition Center (SEC) with a dizzying 1,000 events on-site and online.

The annual event, in its 17th edition, has seen more than 300 reading events go online and diverse in-person activities take place at the main hall of the SEC and across 150 bookstores in Shanghai and its neighboring cities, according to the organizers.

Bibliophiles are promised a comfortable, cafe-like experience during the seven-day events, with international literary celebrities such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Jesse Ball, Roy Jacobsen and Belinda Cannone, as well as renowned writers at home like Ma Boyong, Zhu Yong and Mao Jian, slated to hold reading events.

700-plus new books are set to make their debut during the fair with over 100 of the latest works launched online simultaneously for readers unable to attend in person.

One of the most exciting first releases is the newest version of Cihai – the most authoritative dictionary and encyclopedia of Standard Mandarin Chinese – and its online version, which were launched on the opening day, drawing large crowds.

Bookworms can savor a variety of classic literature and the latest best-sellers at different themed exhibitions in the main pavilion.

"Many big-name publishers are here, and I can spend the whole day here. I also want to buy some books for my daughter. Spending too much time on tablets and smartphone is not good for her," said Chen, a reader visiting the book fair.

Noting that they've brought many books about local culture, including The Mountains of Hangzhou, and The Temples and Churches of Hangzhou, Yang Qinghua, assistant director of the Hangzhou Publishing Group, added "Books on tourism are in high demand in recent months. I think people can't wait to travel as the pandemic wanes."

There is also a special exhibition showcasing publications related to the COVID-19 fight, such as A Brief History of Anti-Epidemic, Oral Account of the Witnesses by Xinhua Publishing House and U.S. author John M. Barry's The Great Influenza.

It also features books about the heroic medical workers and others supporting the tough battle over the past few months.

Among them is the high-profile work The Diary of Doctor Zha, which was penned by Zha Qiongfang, a doctor from Shanghai's Renji Hospital who was dispatched to support the hardest virus-hit Hubei Province.

This year's event has seen stringent COVID-19 prevention measures in place to ensure the health and safety of visitors and staff amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the organizers, the exhibition area at the main pavilion was expanded to 26,000 square meters, an increase of 10.8 percent over the previous one, so as to help scatter the crowds and keep social distance.

The organizers have also limited the number of daily visitors to 18,000. All visitors to this year's book fair have to register in advance, show their health codes and have temperature checks before entering the venues.

Other precautions include wearing masks and staggered visiting hours.

Launched in 2004, the book fair, held annually in summer, has become a cultural gala for both local residents and visitors. This year's event will run through August 18.

(Video by Hong Yaobin; Cover: The 2020 Shanghai Book Fair kicks off on August 12 at the Shanghai Exhibition Center in Shanghai, China. /CFP)