More than 89,000 books worth a total of approximately 3.78 million yuan ($564,179.1) were sold at the fifth Zhejiang Book Fair which concluded on Oct 21, a yearly uptick of 19.24 percent, official data shows.

The three-day event, with Ningbo as its main venue, attracted more than 150,000 visitors, up 17.22 percent year-on-year.

Nearly 60,000 books were featured during the fair, consisting mostly of highly acclaimed works and recent bestsellers.

Zhang Kangkang, a renowned Chinese female writer, said that book fairs in China are gaining more support from publishers and serve as significant platforms in encouraging people to read.

She expressed hope that more people will attend the fairs and expose themselves to a wider variety of books.

Zheng Yonghong, a local bookstore owner, expressed excitement about being invited to the exhibition and said he will use the opportunity to promote his store.

"Book fairs are about more than just selling books, they also show the future development direction of the industry," he said.

Xing Yiuxan, a publisher from CITIC Publishing House, revealed that the company's sales posted a 50 percent growth over last year's fair, and children's books proved the most popular among readers in Ningbo.

Established in 2015 in Ningbo, the fair has grown into an influential cultural event in China.