The third China Yangtze River Writers Week takes place in Nanjing from March 18 to 22.

More than 50 writers, scholars and publishers attended the third China Yangtze River Writers Week, which was held in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on March 18.

Nearly 20 literature-themed activities, including forums and book sharing sessions, will be held at local schools, libraries, and bookstores during the event.

Li Jingze, vice-chairman of the China Writers Association, hailed the successful opening of the event, saying that Jiangsu has been a favored place among literati since ancient times, and that modern Jiangsu literature is an important part of Chinese literature.

Participants of the opening ceremony of the third China Yangtze River Writers Week pose for a group photo.

The five-day event has contributed to the global spread of Jiangsu and Chinese literature, he added.

Xu Ning, deputy director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, noted that since its first edition in 2017, the China Yangtze River Writers Week has been attended by numerous writers from home and abroad, including Nobel laureates, who shared their literary creations.

She expressed hope that the event will draw more attention to literature in Jiangsu and China and that Jiangsu literature will help Chinese literature go global.

Naomi Wood, The New York Times bestselling author, addresses the opening ceremony of the third China Yangtze River Writers Week.

Wang Xingguo, executive vice-chairman of the Jiangsu Writers Association, pointed out that the China Yangtze River Writers Week has significantly improved the profile and reputation of Jiangsu literature, which has grown into a robust force for China's literary circle.

Sun Zhenfu, president of Phoenix Publishing and Media Group, believes that the development of literature would not be possible without exchanges, international vision, modern expressions of tradition, and writers' creations.

Two writers from other countries, including Naomi Wood, The New York Times bestselling author and associate professor in creative writing at the University of East Anglia, were also invited to deliver speeches via video link at the opening ceremony of the event.