THE 20-year-old Hong Kong Book Fair is a unique phenomenon in the Chinese publishing world.

Taiwanese publisher Su Shih-ping puts it in a nutshell. “The fair has been successful because Hong Kong people understand Taiwan better than the mainlanders, know the mainland better than Taiwanese, learn more about other countries than people in other parts of China and know more about China than the outside world.”

Each July, shopping paradise Hong Kong is turned into an exuberant oasis of culture.

Starting yesterday, the spending spree in department stores at the beginning of the summer sales is overshadowed by the annual book fair, whi