From ancient Chinese classics to contemporary Cambodian novels, over 300 books in five languages have found a common home in Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong province. They are part of a themed exhibition that opened alongside the Asia–Pacific Civil Society Conference on Sept 2.

The exhibition featured books in Chinese, English, Spanish, Burmese, and Khmer, divided into six sections focusing on mutual learning among civilizations, people-to-people ties, economic and trade cooperation, folk arts, literary classics, and regional development.

More than 200 cultural and creative items from Shandong are also on display. The exhibition has drawn strong interest from international attendees, with the multilingual books and locally inspired creative cultural products becoming a notable highlight of the conference.

Running alongside the three-day conference, which attracted over 300 participants from 36 countries, the book fair offers a tangible window into the region's shared history and cultural connections – and a quiet reminder that stories, in any language, have the power to bring people together.

A book exhibition is held during the Asia–Pacific Civil Society Conference in Jinan on Sept 2. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]