The "2023 Kaohsiung Reading Festival," centered around the theme--Reading Kaohsiung, Reading the World, officially opened on November 11th. With a hundred events, including lectures, markets, and book fair activities. The festival's first weekend saw thousands of people at the Kaohsiung Municipal Library Main Branch Plaza to visit the book fair and market. The opening weekend featured performances by various musicians, including Shara Lin (林逸欣), the comedic duo "Funnynoproblem" (面白大丈夫), Taiwanese Golden Melody Award-winning singers Chen Jian-wei (陳建瑋) and Shao Da-lun (邵大倫), Men Envy Children (小男孩樂團), and Shinezone Theater (響座劇場), making the scene lively. During the book fair, KPL collaborates with 70 publishers and 40 independent bookstores, offering an enjoyable experience for the public. There are still two weeks left for readers to seize the opportunity to register for the hundred quality lectures.

The hundred quality lectures are the highlight of the "2023 Kaohsiung Reading Festival," with over 40 different themed lectures launched over the weekend and attended by more than two thousand people. The first day of the opening week featured a performance by "Funnynoproblem" in a Japanese comedic style, attracting and immersing crowds of audience in a world of laughter. The Taiwanese songs performed by Golden Melody winners Chen Jian-wei and Shao Da-lun also drew many families to their performance and the book fair, bridging generations. During this period, foreign travelers touring the island also visited the Harbor Book Fair and KPL’s Market on Meadow. After the pandemic, Kaohsiung opened physical international exchanges, and the Kaohsiung City Book Fair conveys the strongest message of looking internationally from a local perspective to the citizens.
 

Acting Director of KPL, Lin Yi-Cheng (林奕成), stated that the "2023 Kaohsiung Reading Festival" has launched vibrantly, thanking all the participating publishers and independent bookstores for contributing to Kaohsiung's grand reading event. The book fair showcases diversity, bringing reading closer to the public. This year's fair features over a hundred quality lectures, inviting creators and people working in the cultural sector from different fields and generations for discussions. It gathered celebrities from law, film, literature, picture books, food, and more to share at KPL, hoping the public will gain valuable insights. Additionally, this year, KPL collaborates with Phalanity Technology (方陣聯合科技) to create innovative sensory experiences combining reading with technology, aiming to innovate reading experiences for the public continuously.
   
KPL stated that during the Kaohsiung Reading Festival, KPL, bookstores, and publishers jointly created the Harbor Book Fair, linking reading, cultural and creative industries, and art. KPL’s Market on Meadow, held during the first two weekends of the book fair (November 11th to 12th and November 18th to 19th), gathers diverse handmade cultural and creative products and food from southern Taiwan, offering a satisfying experience for visitors. Paired with the Harbor Book Fair every weekend until November 26th, it showcases various aspects of reading, inviting citizens to enjoy the charm of reading in Kaohsiung in November. This year's book fair also features a satellite exhibition area of local specialties on the 3rd floor of KPL Main Branch. The content of local craftsmanship in the books will be presented on the 1st-floor plaza of KPL Main Branch on November 18th (Sat.) and November 19th (Sun.). Everyone is invited to experience local cultural activities.

The "2023 Kaohsiung Reading Festival" features over a hundred events at the Main Branch and extends to TAI Urban Resort, City Wind Bookstore, and other branches like the Dadong Arts Library and Lee Ko-Yung Memorial Library. Upcoming speakers at the Dadong Arts Library include editor-in-chief of Sunny and Warm Publishing House Pang Jyun-hao (龐君豪), comic artist Sie Dong-Lin (謝東霖), author of YiBi Ruhun (一筆入魂, One Stroke Soul) Song Yi-huei (宋怡慧), author of Diary of a Market-holic, Su Ling (蘇凌), and theater performer Li Meng-rong (李孟融). They will share their creative content and journeys. In addition to three reading drama activities at KPL Main Branch, Shinezone Theater (響座劇場) will also perform "Dear Little Demonio" (親愛的魔神仔) reading drama at Lee Ko-Yung Memorial Library on November 19th at 3 PM, offering readers the opportunity to appreciate and experience reading drama, exploring more possibilities in performance. For more detailed information, please visit the official website of the Kaohsiung Reading Festival.

"2023 Kaohsiung Reading Festival" officially opened on November 11th, with a hundred events, including lectures, markets, and book fair activities, attracting thousands to the Kaohsiung Municipal Library Main Branch Plaza over the first weekend.

Performances of Taiwanese songs by Golden Melody winners Chen Jian-wei and Shao Da-lun.

On the first day of the opening week, "Funnynoproblem" brought a performance featuring Japanese comedic style.

KPL collaborates with Phalanity Technology, offering readers experiences with ocean and forest-themed technological projections.

Multi-talented musician Shara Lin performed four songs during the opening weekend. 

Kaohsiung Reading Festival’s Harbor Book Fair is open every weekend until November 26th.