The 2026 Beijing Book Fair opened on Saturday simultaneously at four majors parks across the city, set to offer a month-long cultural feast for visitors.

On Saturday morning, the Chaoyang Park in downtown Beijing was bustling with enthusiastic book lovers eager to read and buy books.

"I love to read books about history. This is the latest book of Chinese novelist Ma Boyong and it was sold at 35 percent off. I think it is a good deal," said a resident surnamed Huang.

Running until May 17, the book fair sees participation by more than 2,000 bookstores across the city, with the event's four venues at the Chaoyang Park in the east, the Shougang Park in the west, the Nanyuan Forest Wetland Park in the south, and the Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park in the north covering a total area of approximately 16,000 square meters, setting a new record for scale. Over 70 related events will be held in residential communities, commercial districts and schools.

"We have set up centralized exhibition areas in parks located in the east, south, west and north of the city, in striving to expand the coverage of the book fair," said Li Kun, an official from the publicity department of Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China.

To boost spending, Beijing plans to distribute a total of 6 million yuan (around 880,056 U.S. dollars) in book vouchers at the event. Meanwhile, visitors who attended the ongoing 16th Beijing International Film Festival screenings can receive book vouchers at book fair by presenting their film ticket stubs.