Writer Li Er talks about re-reading the classics for new knowledge. [Photo provided to China Daily]

At the 15th Readers' Conference held on Friday during the ongoing 32nd National Book Expo in Jinan, Shandong province, Rong Xinjiang and Cao Wenxuan led other speakers in presenting the audience with a feast of traditional cultural, life retrospectives, and insights into their reading and writing.

The two writers, who are both professors at Peking University, shared their new books — Rong about his search for scrolls and other written material from the Dunhuang Grottoes, and Cao about his new novel.

"The lost scrolls and Buddhist texts from Dunhuang help piece together a picture of ancient China and its exchanges with cultures along the Silk Road between the 5th to 8th centuries," Rong said, adding his search began in the 1980s and has led him to libraries and universities in 48 cities around the world.

Cartoonist Bai Cha, the pen name of Liang Kedong, whose illustrated stories about a cat called Wu Huang and his friends have become popular, shared anecdotes about he got involved with books and began his career.