A Dubai-based Chinese TV channel is trying to build a bridge between China and the UAE. This, by broadcasting all their content in Arabic.
Since the summer of 2014, when China-Arab TV was founded, it has targeted Middle Eastern viewers through Arabic-speaking hosts or the use of subtitles.
The channel describes itself as the “first and only Sino-Arabic satellite television channel in the Middle East region.” Airing in 22 Arab countries as part of NileSat, it can be found on du 68 or Etisalat 1070 in the UAE.
Grace Zhang, an anchor for the weekly 30-minute talk show China Arab Dialogues (soon to be renamed ‘Dubaier’, in the vein of ‘New Yorker’), made the move to Dubai nearly two years ago to take on her new role.
“I saw this [as a] very good opportunity for me to learn the city, and learn about the UAE. It’s a very special country and I hadn’t been here before, so I wanted to learn about the culture,” Zhang told Gulf News tabloid! over the phone.
Zhang was previously based in Beijing and lived in London for two years, where she completed a Master’s degree in Communication, prior to moving to Dubai.
“I was surprised about everything here. It’s a totally different culture from China, and also from the UK,” Zhang said.
“It was totally new to me, but I liked the culture very much,” she added.
For Zhang, the inclusivity and tolerance she felt in the UAE were of utmost importance. “Dubai is a very international city, it’s very good for young people to live and work here,” she said.
RIGHT BITE
An estimated 200,000 Chinese people currently live in the UAE. When Zhang first made the move, it was the little things that helped her feel more at home — like authentic cuisine.
“For me, as a Chinese person, I could find very good Chinese food here. It reminds me of my hometown in the North East of China... it’s called Shandong province,” said Zhang.
“Especially in International City, it’s very authentic Chinese [food], so I don’t feel like it’s a foreign country for me.
“When I lived in London, the Chinese restaurants were not very authentic, to be honest. I’ve been to other countries [and cities], like Australia and New York, and they have China Town there, but the food is like the south of China, it’s not like the north of China.”
BRIDGING GAPS
Zhang described China-Arab TV as “still growing”, but said that her talk show China Arab Dialogues has particularly high viewership, sometimes even besting the numbers of China Central Television (CCTV).
Guests of the show have included the Undersecretary for Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Economy, Abdullah Al Saleh, and the CEO of Dubai Duty Free, Colm McLoughlin.
Off the air, the use of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, allows the channel to reach even wider audiences in Arabic.
But through Weibo and WeChat, the two largest social media networks in China, they try to deliver Middle Eastern stories in Chinese.
“Basically, we’re telling UAE stories to Chinese audiences, and we are telling Chinese stories to UAE audiences, so that we could make the people from two countries understand each other better. We want to build a bridge between them,” said Zhang.
According to the anchor, more than 80 per cent of the content that airs on China-Arab TV is filmed in the UAE, but the channel also has a branch in China.
“We have Arabic journalists in Beijing who can speak perfect Chinese, so they will report some news in China and we broadcast it here, as well,” she said.
The channel is gearing up to broadcast brand new shows in the coming months. Yummy Tour, a food series, will shed light on any and every type of cuisine you can find in Dubai, while Look East, a financial programme, will focus on the economy.
- China Arab Dialogues airs on China-Arab TV at 7.30pm every Thursday.
