One of Asia's most influential cultural events, the annual Hong Kong Book Fair, kicked off Wednesday in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang, second from left, and head of the General Administration of Press and Publication of China, Liu Binjie, third from left, attend the launch ceremony of the 20th Hong Kong Book Fair Wednesday, July 22, 2009.

A booth of a Hong Kong-based multimedia publisher at the 20th Hong Kong Book Fair, which runs from July 22 to 28, 2009.

More than 500 exhibitors from 20 countries and regions are participating in the 7-day exhibition, which was initiated in 1990. The number of visitors is expected to top 850, 000 this time.

More than 100 publishers from the Chinese mainland are attracted to the event, bringing with them around 13,000 types of books. Around 900 square meters of exhibition area has been reserved for their counterparts from Taiwan, a record high in the event's history.