Dubai: Viewers in the Arab world will now have an opportunity to enjoy Chinese TV series and movies dubbed in Arabic, it was announced on Saturday.
Being introduced as part of a cultural exchange between the UAE and China, the initiative will see six popular Chinese series and two movies playing on China Arab TV (CATV).
China Arab TV and China Media Group signed and agreement on Saturday to pave the way for cultural exchanges between China and the UAE.
“As part of the deal, we will be airing hit TV series and movies from China dubbed in Arabic. This is the first time we are having Chinese programmes dubbed in Arabic. The programmes we have selected are very popular and depict the cultural and social life of China. It will offer people from the Arab world [a chance] to understand the people of China better,” said RuiXue Zhang, chief correspondent at China Arab TV.
Starting with ‘Ode to Joy’, a series about the struggles of four small-town girls who head to Shanghai in search of jobs, the series will play daily from Saturday on CATV, which is available on Etisalat eLife at 1071 and Du at 68.
The channel is also available on NileSat across 22 countries in the region.
“This series is about four small-town girls who come to the big city chasing their dreams of landing good jobs and having a good life. This portrays their struggles with their jobs, life and relationship in a hilarious way,” added Zhang, a Chinese national based in Dubai.
She added that other programmes and movies that will be aired, including ‘Beijing Youth’ and Jin Tailang’s ‘Happy Life’, also depict various aspects of the Chinese society.
The initiative in the later stage will see introduction of Arabic programmes into Chinese.
“We will start with Chinese series and movies and in the next stage some Arabic programmes will be introduced to Chinese viewers. This is part of our cultural exchange programme to promote understanding between the two cultures and bridge the gap,” said Mohammad Beiji, head of production department at CATV.
Sun Yusheng, vice-president of China Central Television (CCTV); Osama Taleb Morra, CATV senior consultant; and Li Lingbing, Consul-General of China in Dubai, addressed the event.
