STORY: Bangladeshi book fair highlights love of Chinese culture 
SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 23, 2024
DATELINE: Feb. 25, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:09
LOCATION: Dhaka
CATEGORY: CULTURE 

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the book fair
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Bengali): REZAUL HAQUE, Visitor
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): TAUSIF ZAMAN, Student of the Confucius Institute at the Dhaka University
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): YANG HUI, Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Dhaka
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): YAO WEN, Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh

STORYLINE:

Bangladesh's largest annual book fair is held in the capital Dhaka during the whole of February. A Chinese book house at the fair gains popularity as more local people want to know more about China.
   
The Amar Ekushey Boi Mela, which means "Immortal Twenty-First Book Fair" in the local language, is welcomed by locals as hundreds of visitors waiting in long queues to enter the book fair.
   
Rezaul Haque is another one who came to the book house. "We've been introduced to China since childhood, especially when we were in school. We were regular readers of the Bengali version of one Chinese magazine," said Haque.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Bengali): REZAUL HAQUE, Visitor
"I've come to Chinese book stall in this fair several times. I think China is very good. It's a very prosperous nation and the most interesting thing is their artistic mentality. Everything they have is so beautiful and so perfect that it attracts us and all their arrangements like their catalogs and their books are all good."
   
Haque hoped that there would be a regular exhibition where people could collect Chinese books. "It would be good for those of us who want to know about China, who want to hold China dearly, and love it."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): TAUSIF ZAMAN, Student of the Confucius Institute at the Dhaka University
"There is a Chinese book stall. So from there I have read The Yellow River, which is very famous and a lot of people already read about this book. So I think it always gives us more information about the Chinese perspective. And we learn more traditions about it. It's really emotional that we actually connect with the writer. So I think the more people will read this kind of books, will have a better understanding about the Chinese and the Chinese literature and their books."

In front of the Chinese book house, various activities on the occasion of the Chinese Lantern Festival which fell on Saturday also attracted a large number of people. Hundreds of Bangladeshis gathered here to experience the colorful cultural activities in high spirits.
   
SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): YANG HUI, Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Dhaka
"There are a large number of books on Chinese culture, history, philosophy, economy and politics on display at the book fair, both in Chinese and in English. So that the Bangladeshi people can learn about China in this way. At the same time, at the book fair, we organized a variety of cultural activities by the three Confucius Institutes (classroom) in Bangladesh, hoping that with the help of such a grand book fair platform in the country, more Bangladeshis can understand China."

Noting that the book fair was born out of the Bangladeshis' appreciation of their mother language and their culture, Yao Wen, the Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh, said the China book house is an example of how Chinese culture is loved by the Bangladeshi people.

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): YAO WEN, Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh
"I'm happy that more and more Bangladeshi people, they love to learn Chinese culture, to learn the Chinese language and they love to be with Chinese people. It's another great opportunity for us to learn about each other and we provide fun and entertainment for the people."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Dhaka.
(XHTV)