Germany's second largest book fair opened on Wednesday in the eastern city of Leipzig with Chinese literature being in the spotlight.

China will be the guest of honor at the Frankfurt book fair in October and is promoting its literature and publishing sector at Leipzig.

At the four-day Leipzig event, Chinese authors Gao Hongbo and Xu Lu will give a presentation on Chinese literature. The fair also features literature from eastern Europe.

On Friday, all Chinese authors present at the fair will participate in a panel discussion organized by the Confucius Institute in Leipzig to discuss their work and life in China today.

At a press conference later on Thursday, Wu Shulin, deputy chairman of the organizing committee of "China -- guest of honor," will give an overview of the activities China has planned in the run-up to the Frankfurt fair.

The organizing committee is expected to bring more than 80 writers and scholars to Germany for discussions, lectures and talks to introduce Chinese literature to German readers.

(Xinhua News Agency March 12, 2009)