Guangzhou, often overshadowed by Hong Kong, has established a cultural district with the opening of the Guangdong Museum and Guangzhou Opera. The project, estimated to cost around $500 million, aims to be fully unveiled by November for the Asian Games. Despite ongoing construction, the venues are operational, offering a range of cultural events and attracting visitors. The opera house has already altered the city's cultural landscape, hosting major productions and drawing audiences from Hong Kong. The museum, designed by Rocco Yim, and the opera house, designed by Zaha Hadid, are architectural landmarks. Questions about the affordability of high ticket prices have been raised, but the opera house has offered discounted tickets for certain productions. The museum is experiencing high visitor numbers, and the cultural district is expected to enhance Guangzhou's urban appeal.

The Hong Kong Book Fair, known for its large attendance, is making efforts to gain international recognition by incorporating more English-language material and international authors. The fair, organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, featured prominent British authors and aimed to modernize with a focus on e-books and digital media. Despite controversies over young models promoting photo albums, the fair saw significant engagement from both local and international visitors, including students and mainland Chinese attendees. The event highlighted the fair's potential to become a global literary hub.

The Hong Kong Book Fair introduced a section on electronic publishing, featuring companies like Hanvon, Jecomtech, Kiwa Media, and Mimio. Hanvon presented e-book devices, Jecomtech showcased a multilingual e-book reader, Kiwa Media demonstrated an iPad application for children's books, and Mimio displayed interactive digital whiteboard products. The fair anticipates the launch of Apple's iPad in Hong Kong, which competes with e-readers. The event is a significant platform for the digital evolution of reading, attracting nearly a million visitors.