HONG KONG (UCAN) -- Religious books have failed to attract significant numbers of mainland Chinese who visited the recent Hong Kong Book Fair.

At least 2,000 mainland visitors went to the book fair, the first they could attend since the Chinese government relaxed its travel policy for mainlanders.

A spokesperson for the 15th Hong Kong Book Fair told UCA News on July 27 that a record number of about 503,000 visitors were admitted to the exhibition, held July 21-26 at the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre.

To attract more mainland visitors, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the fair organizer, placed advertisements in mainland newspapers and magazines offering an admission coupon that would reduce the HK$20 (about US$2.50) daytime entrance fee and HK$10 evening fee by HK$5.

Leaflets with discount coupons were also available at tourist information centers and the China Travel Agency, and on some cross-border buses. Moreover, a separate entrance gave mainland visitors faster entry to exhibition halls.

Buddhist, Catholic, Protestant and Taoist groups displayed their goods at the fair. In terms of quantity, religious books were the third largest of 57 categories of books offered by 367 exhibitors. The first and second categories were books on popular cultures and medical health, respectively.

Even so, several mainland visitors from Guangdong, the province bordering Hong Kong, told UCA News on July 23 that the mainlanders were showing little interest in religious books, though some said they might just take a look.

A woman surnamed Xiong who lives in Guangzhou, the provincial capital, said religion is "mysterious and difficult," and she knows nothing about it. Accompanied by her son to the book fair, she said she cannot understand the "Sanskrit writings" she had seen in Buddhist temples she visited.

Xiong, who was on her fourth visit to Hong Kong, suggested that religious books should be written in "easy language." She added that she would be interested in religious books only if they relate to daily life.

Mo Huaiyuan from Jiangmen city, south of Guangzhou, said he was zeroing in science and technology books. Since he professes no religion, he said he would look at religious books only if he walked by the religious book booths.

Guo Baolin, a Guangzhou designer who came to the fair with her husband and daughter, said she would browse all categories of books but focus on design books. But due to limited time, she said she would not browse religious books.

Teenagers Cao Hao and Tang Xiaoheng from Foshan, just southwest of Guangzhou, also said they would not bother looking at religious books since they have no religion. They were more interested in comics, novels and books on science and technology. They said they were attracted to the fair by advertisements.

One mainlander who did express an interest in religious books was Sister Guo Xiaoping of Liaoning province, northeastern China. She was on her way home via Hong Kong after finishing her studies in the United States.

At the Catholic books booth, jointly run by seven diocesan bureaus and six Catholic publishers, Sister Guo spent nearly HK$1,500 buying books on pastoral care, spirituality and theology.

She told UCA News that one cannot find the books in the mainland and that she bought them for her own congregation and for herself. "We so treasure the books from Hong Kong," she said, "that we share them among ourselves and even copy useful contents by hand -- sometimes up to half the book!"

Angela Cheng, who coordinated the Catholic booth, told UCA News that on July 23 she saw a few mainland visitors who each spent an average of HK$200-300 for books on Church life and spirituality, as well as for children's books. She pointed out that the Catholic booth also distributed small tokens such as pocket tissue-paper and small greeting cards printed with religious slogans.

Cheng, who also manages the diocesan-run Catholic Centre Bookstore, said her booth had no special display for mainlander visitors, but some books displayed at her booth were in the simplified Chinese characters used on the mainland.

By contrast, a small number of religion-related books produced by mainland publishers in simplified characters attracted many Hong Kong people due to their competitive prices. For example, two publishers from Anhui province in east-central China displayed a finely illustrated Chinese version of "The Bible Story," adapted from the French, and "Thomas Aquinas," one book in a Chinese-language series on "Ten Great Thinkers in the Millennium."

Cao Zhilan of Anhui People's Publishing House told UCA News that books in the series sold well at the fair and Hong Kong people bought dozens of them.

Lee Yee Wai, executive officer of the Hong Kong Buddhist Association, told UCA News on July 27 that many mainlanders visited the four booths that her organization set up at the fair. She said the visitors were mainly interested in buying books on Buddhist art, as well as Buddhist articles and accessories.

Beyond the book fair, Cheng said she has noticed an increasing number of mainland customers in Hong Kong's three Catholic bookstores. She credits the increase to the new policy, which allows mainlanders to come as individuals.

More than 2.6 million mainland visitors have entered Hong Kong as individuals since the new travel policy came into effect on July 23, 2003. They previously could come only on business visas, or as part of a tour group or to visit Hong Kong relatives. The Chinese government now allows residents of 32 mainland cities to visit Hong Kong as individuals for up to seven days.

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