According to organizers, attending Chinese publishers also made more than 800 deals to sell the copyrights for Chinese titles in the international market.

"I hope the Chinese professionals' active work, positive attitude, as well as their attention to the needs of Chinese students would be inspiring for their foreign peers and give them some confidence to reignite the passion for culture and literature," Lasala says.

Audience numbers at the fair's China pavilion were big and the area was "packed with foreign publishers that were attracted by this newly discovered Chinese creativity".

Elena Pasoli, group product manager of BolognaFiere, the fair's main organizer, says: "We decided to invite China to be the guest of honor because it is one of the most interesting countries in terms of cultural heritage and attention to the new generations."