Summary
In October 2026, the New Zealand leg of the '2026 Shanghai Most Beautiful Book Posters Exhibition' was held at the New Zealand Multicultural Arts Centre in Auckland's Ormiston Town Centre. Hosted by the Shanghai Book and Periodical Distribution Industry Association and China National Publications Import and Export (Shanghai) Co. , Ltd.
, and organised by the cultural centre, the exhibition featured 50 works selected from award-winning entries in Shanghai's 'Most Beautiful Book Posters' competition over the past two years. Since 2018, the association has run a series of activities for the competition, including solicitation, selection, publication and exhibition, with outstanding works shown multiple times in Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong and Australia. At the opening ceremony, Wang Yan, Chairman of East China Normal University Press Ltd.
, spoke on behalf of the association and presented award-winning poster collections in English, simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese editions to New Zealand guests. Ashley Grogan, Project Director of Arts Out East, and Wang Jianwen, Director of the China Cultural Centre in Auckland, also spoke. Wang described the exhibition as a cultural dialogue across the Pacific and another highlight of China-New Zealand cultural exchange.
In the same period, the 2024–2025 'Shanghai Good Books' exhibition was held in Sydney.
Commentary
The entry of Shanghai's publishing industry into Australia and New Zealand through the 'Most Beautiful Book Posters' and 'Shanghai Good Books' exhibitions is a concrete practice of China-New Zealand cultural exchange. New Zealand's book retail market is dominated by Paper Plus and Whitcoulls, and independent bookstores have recovered in recent years due to a rebound in community cultural consumption, but the supply of Chinese-language books still relies on import channels. This exhibition, led by the Shanghai Book and Periodical Distribution Industry Association and joined by China National Publications Import and Export (Shanghai) Co.
, Ltd. , provides a low-cost entry point for local small and medium-sized booksellers to access Chinese publishing resources. For NZ SMEs, two points deserve attention: first, the rising popularity of Chinese language learning has driven demand for bilingual children's books and language learning books, and the expansion of Chinese courses in Auckland primary and secondary schools has boosted purchases of related teaching materials; second, derivative cooperation around cultural IP such as poster exhibitions, such as co-organising small book fairs with local cafes and libraries, or introducing award-winning posters as store decorations to enhance cultural appeal.
On the other hand, the simultaneous 'Shanghai Good Books' exhibition in Sydney, Australia, shows that Chinese publishing institutions are systematically laying out in the Oceania market and may in the future reduce local procurement costs for Chinese books through copyright export and co-publishing. However, it should be noted that importing cultural products involves censorship and logistics timeliness, so small and medium-sized merchants should first test the waters with pop-up exhibitions and sales before deciding whether to maintain regular stock.
Keywords: Shanghai Most Beautiful Book Posters, Shanghai Good Books, New Zealand, Auckland, Shanghai Book and Periodical Distribution Industry Association, cultural exchange, Wang Yan, Wang Jianwen, book poster exhibition
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