{"id":14935,"date":"2013-01-19T05:02:03","date_gmt":"2013-01-19T10:02:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=14935"},"modified":"2013-01-19T09:22:41","modified_gmt":"2013-01-19T14:22:41","slug":"cheenaavil-inba-ulaabook-in-tamil-written-by-chinese-author-debuts-in-chennai-book-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=14935","title":{"rendered":"“Cheenaavil Inba Ulaa” Book in Tamil Written by Chinese Author Debuts in Chennai Book Fair"},"content":{"rendered":"

By
\nAnanth Krishnan<\/strong><\/p>\n

F<\/strong>or Zhao Jiang, who prefers to go by her Tamil name Kalaimakal, writing a book in Tamil would have seemed unthinkable when she first began learning what appeared to be an undecipherable script in a Chinese university classroom some 15 years ago.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Today, as a fluent Tamil-speaker and the director of the government-run China Radio International\u2019s (CRI) Tamil station, which commands an impressive audience of more than 25,000 dedicated listeners in Tamil Nadu alone, Ms. Zhao has taken it upon herself to foster closer ties between China and southern India, a usually overlooked destination for Chinese travellers.
\n
\nThis week, Ms. Zhao\u2019s first book in Tamil \u2014 which, as far as she knows, might even be the first ever Tamil book authored by a Chinese \u2014 will debut at the ongoing Chennai Book Fair, which runs until January 23 at the YMCA College Ground in Nandanam. The book will be available at the stall of publishers Gowtham Pathippagam.<\/p>\n

Titled \u201cChina\u2019s Travel Attractions\u201d the book provides an introduction of the history and culture of Beijing, Shanghai and Tibet. \u201cThe idea I had was to introduce the special features of China for a Tamil audience,\u201d Ms. Zhao told The Hindu in an interview.<\/p>\n