With the 75th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between China and India, a cultural bridge was entered into silently but made millions of people pay attention. The cross-cultural friendship has been represented by a young Chinese lady, Zhu jingjing, who is popularly referred to as China’s Meera on the Indian social media. Her Hindi language Facebook page, which has a following of more than 10 million, is transforming the way that the residents of the two countries know each other. The trip started in the year 2018 when she created a Hindi Facebook page where she posted her experiences of learning the language as a Chinese person. Light jokes about Hindi words gave way to serious posts on the cultural similarities and differences of India and China. Her platform is now a place where the Indians get to peep into the daily life of the Chinese, their traditions, celebrations, their food, and their social life- through the mouthpiece of a person who speaks their language well.

The strong attachment that Zhu jingjing has towards India lies in her academic journey. She is also an undergraduate major in Hindi and had a one year academic exchange experience in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) New Delhi. That year changed her mind and she fell in love with Indian culture. She began to wear saris and salwar-kameez as her daily garment, she began liking Bollywood movies and even became fond of Hindi songs- old classics in particular.

She frequently says, taking a look back at her adventure, “Before learning Hindi, I had many misconceptions about India. But after living there, I realized how similar our cultures truly are.” The realization is precisely what is posted on her social media. Besides telling her stories about her life in China, she also made a popular series known as Indian in China. She shows the Indian audiences the real life experience of migration, work, friendship, family and everyday life in China, through the interviews and personal accounts of Indian residents in different cities in China. This narrative technique has assisted in busting the stereotypes, and provided a more personal and genuine image of China to consumers thousands of kilometers away.

The rise of her popularity has not escaped notice. Over the years, China has invited China to participate in various events arranged by the Indian Embassy in China, cultural functions, student events and community events. She has been commended by people living around India including students, professionals and families and is considered as a friendly and reliable source of information about China.

It is her truthfulness that makes her honesty sound so touching. Her eloquent and emotional speech in Hindi does not appear too self-conscious, and she alternates between the languages rather masterfully, explaining the peculiarities of Chinese culture. Her videos are warm and funny and intrigued and this has helped her to connect emotionally with her audience.

As the two nations are marking 75 years of diplomatic relations that have been marked by cooperation and controversy, Meera is positive about the applicability of people-to-people relations. She encourages the young Indians and the Chinese to have more cultural exchange, communication and be more connected through the internet.

She expresses this in her characteristic heartfelt manner, “I hope we can become bridges for each other. May the tree of traditional friendship between China and India always stay alive.” Zhu jingjing in a lot of aspects signifies a new dawn of grassroots diplomacy. When the world is dominated by politics in crafting stories, she has employed words and narration to show something more sincere and human, the readiness of the common people to see themselves in one another.

Her videos demonstrate that cultural friendship does not require any great gestures or official agreements. In some cases, all one needs is a common language, an open mind, and the boldness to get into the other culture in a respectful manner. She is China’s Meera and with millions of people listening to her voice she is still crafting a soft strand of warmth, curiosity and trust between the Chinese and Indians.

(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with NRDPL and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR