Roundabout Book Fairs Back on Track, Next Fair This Sunday at BIBA

It can be hard to find foreign-language books in Beijing, especially since the closure of Bookworm last year. Of course, there’s always online shopping, but nothing beats thumbing through pages in person before carrying your pile to the checkout line.

That' where Roundabout book fairs come in. There are always a good number of books in Chinese, English and, various other languages, and even though the fairs are traditionally held at international schools, they're always well-stocked with titles for adults as well.

Like pretty much everything else, however, the world of book fairs was rocked last year when the coronavirus hit. Whereas they had previously held monthly fairs at international schools, Roundabout was only able to hold two small fairs in front of their Chaoyang store throughout 2020.

"People really missed our book fairs," says Wendy Lu, director of cooperation and development at Roundabout. "We've been holding them for ten years, but last year we weren't able to do much because schools closed around Beijing, as did anywhere else that could host us.”

Last month, the fairs were finally able to relaunch at a decent scale, starting at the Riviera Clubhouse. This month, they are finally able to cooperate with an international school again, holding a fair at the Beijing International Bilingual Academy (BIBA) this Sunday, Apr 11 from 10am-3pm. Learn more here.

As any Roundabout fan will expect, the proceeds from the fair will go to charity – specifically to Zi Ling, a 7-year-old girl from Yunnan province who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2017 – so know that your reading fees are going toward an excellent cause.

Meanwhile, there’s much more good – and much more reading – to be done throughout the year. Of course, the COVID situation is still ongoing, and finding venues still isn't the easiest thing in the world, so Lu says any leads you have on a good place to hold a fair would be well appreciated. Simply contact Roundabout at roundaboutvolunteer@yahoo.co.uk.

READ: Here's Your Beijing Spring Reading List

Images: Roundabout