The Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF), one of Asia’s largest publishing event, will celebrate its 40th anniversary (1986–2026). The fair is taking place from 17 to 21 June 2026 at the China National Convention Center in Beijing.
On the eve of BIBF, Douyin (Chinese TikTok) revealed that book-related content uploads doubled year-on-year, driving a 99% increase in book orders and highlighting the growing influence of digital content creation on China’s publishing market. (Source: 2026 Douyin E-commerce Reading Trends Report)
These shifts, from social commerce to AI-generated content and cross-media IP, will be central themes of BIBF 2026.
Cross-media IP will be examined within The BIBF ComicHub, significantly expands its global footprint and will hear from international ACG (Animation, Comic, Game) leaders, including Insight Editions (USA) and Comic Republic (Nigeria).
BIBF will also launch its first IP Licensing Zone in partnership with the China Toy & Juvenile Products Association (CTJPA), featuring more than 20 participating companies.
BIBF spans 60,000 square meters and hosts over 1,700 exhibitors from 82 countries and regions and The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be the Country of Honour.
The fair’s cultural program will include more than 1,000 events across Beijing, led by BIBF Global reading ambassador Liu Zhenyun, whose latest novel Salty Jokes has sold more than one million copies within six months of publication.
Lei Jianhua, vice president of CNPIEC said, “Our vision is to become a global creative assets hub supporting publishers in rights, IP and embracing all the opportunities that AI can bring. We are excited to have the first ever IP licensing zone as there are many opportunities here for close collaboration outside of publishing. This year we look forward to welcoming the UAE to be our guest of honor.”
Reflecting the rapid adoption of AI across China’s publishing ecosystem, BIBF will launch a dedicated showcase of AIGC (Generative AI) solutions featuring leading technology companies including NetEase, Tencent, Fanqie Novel (ByteDance), 37 Interactive Entertainment and Yuewen.
To address the profound shifts in the sector, BIBF will host several high-level strategic forums:
- The Beijing International Publishing Forum (BIPF): Together for a Shared Future of Publishing,
- The PubTech Conference: The AI-Powered Future
- The International Publishing Education Summit: Examining the urgent need to reshape publishing curricula and talent cultivation in an AI-centric era.
- World Children’s Book Forum: Children’s Publishing Strategies in the Age of AI
