TAIPEI - The 21st Taipei International Book Exhibition kicked off on Wednesday with the participation of a record-high 70 countries and regions.

Sponsored by Taiwan's culture authority, 737 publishing houses and more than 500 authors from around the world have been invited to take part in the six-day event.

As books written in simplified Chinese characters and published in the Chinese mainland have gained popularity in Taiwan, a pavilion has been established to showcase books in simplified Chinese characters for the first time. Over 50,000 books published in the mainland will be exhibited at the pavilion.