over, Chinese-Tamil interaction can also be better accounted by this section. Since all the programmes aired
in our radio is done in pure Tamil, it is being well appreciated and welcomed by the Tamils.
As the author to “Chinavil inba ulaa” (Sightseeing in
China), you are acclaimed to be the first Chinese to
have written a Tamil book that was published in India. Perhaps, a few words about the book?
Among all the other widely spoken languages in the
world, how did the desire to learn Tamil language
arise in you?
India’s rich history and culture have always fascinated
me. Apart from that, Tamil is a classical language, which
explains why I decided to learn it.
The story of how Zhao Jiang became Kalaimagal.
When I was learning Tamil, my teacher named me
Kalaimagal. With this name, my teacher had more expectations from me than myself.
How do you manage to speak in Tamil so fluently?
If you compare Tamil and Chinese, you could see that
they belong to opposite ends of linguistic spectrum.
The usage of specific characters in Chinese language is
what makes the language very unique. When I learnt
about the grammatical rule in the Tamil Language such
as nouns and verbs, I encountered serious problems. In
addition, I struggled to accurately pronounce some Tamil alphabets. Proper pronunciation is quintessential for
this language. Despite the obstacles I faced, I strived to
overcome these challenges to speak Tamil fluently.
The Tamil section of China Radio International (CRI)
has started becoming popular in several countries
such as Canada and Malaysia since its inception 50
years ago. Most importantly, it has close to 25000 listeners from Tamil Nadu alone. How was it achieved?
The Tamil Section of the China Radio International
began in the year 1963. Since then, it has been well received by the Tamils. This is the direct way to know the
Chinese culture, economy, community and more. More-
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NUS Tamil Language Society
35th Executive Committee
When I began, I did not even know the Tamil characters. Now, I have developed to a level that I am able to
write a book. My first book, “Chinavil inba ulaa” (Sightseeing in China), in my opinion is of high importance
due to two reasons. Firstly, it is the first Tamil book to
be published by a Chinese in India. Secondly, the support shown by my Tamil fans during the preparation
and publishing stages were immense. In fact, I got the
idea to write this book by my Tamil friends. Thus, in this
book, I have highlighted all the important cities like Beijing and Shanghai. On top of that, I have also included
Tibet’s history and culture.
India’s rich history
and culture have
always fascinated
me. Apart from that,
Tamil is a classical
language, which
explains why I
decided to learn it.
In an interview with The Hindu newspaper, you said
that your next project is about your journey in South
India and that the purpose of this project would be to
introduce holy places in South India to the Chinese.
What is the importance of this project?
This is a good question. I would like to introduce China
to the Indians as well as to share about the excellence of
Tamil to the Chinese. Holy places such as Meenakshi
Amman Temple in Madurai, morning sunrise in Kanyakumari, the legend of Bodhidarman in Kanjipuram, the
sculptures in Mahabalipuram and the classical dance are