A month-long book fair is launched on Thursday in Belgrade, Serbia, to help local people get a better understanding of China ahead of President Xi Jinping's state visit. [Photo/Xinhua]

A series of cultural activities showcasing Chinese culture  are being held on Thursday in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, ahead of President Xi Jinping's state visit.

Six bookstores in Belgrade are participating in a book fair to promote ancient and modern Chinese literature. The launch ceremony of the book fair, organized by China's State Council Information Office, was held at the Delfi bookstore in Belgrade.

Among the 105 volumes on display at the fair are ones featuring information on China's history and cultural heritage, as well as others featuring China's politics and economy. According to the organizers, the fair will last one month.

The Chinese movie week is also expected to kick off on Thursday in Belgrade, during which six movies will be shown between June 16 and 22.

Xi will pay state visits to Serbia, Poland and Uzbekistan from June 17 to 22, the Foreign Ministry announced on Monday. Xi will also attend the 16th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on June 23 and 24.

On Tuesday, a similar book fair was also launched in Warsaw, capital of Poland, with about 100 bookstores across nine Polish cities taking part.

Many of the works featured are in English, but there are also 20 titles in Polish on display.

Guo Weimin, vice-minister of the State Council Information Office, said these books will help people better understand China, especially its modern politics, economy and culture.