Many attractions of China draw crowds at World Book Fair

Visitors to the ongoing New Delhi World Book Fair are thronging the Chinese pavilion to get a glimpse of not only the neighbouring country's literature but also its traditional art and cultural practices.
The 24th edition of the fair that began at the Pragati Maidan here on January 9, is hosting China as the guest of honour, six years after India participated at the Beijing International Book Fair.
Unlike previous years, where the guest of honour countries have limited their participation at the fair specifically to books, this time China has gone beyond the literary engagement and is offering visitors a first-hand experience of itself.

Traditional Chinese woodblock printing, varieties of Chinese tea and a publishing and printing exhibition on the development of Chinese language seem to be attracting people.
Both the kiosks for woodblock printing and Chinese tea are interactive in a way where visitors can partake in the process themselves.
One can see a dozen people at any point of time in the China pavilion applying ink on engraved sandal woodblocks, putting leaves of xuan paper over it and applying ink over it again to get an impression of the Sakyamuni Buddha preaching.

"Xuan Paper or the ivory colored foolscap paper used in woodblock printing is made through 2000 year old traditional craft. Paper of ancient China enjoys the fame of 'life of a thousand years.' Its texture is pliable and tough and makes romantic and magnificent indoor decoration after mounting and ramming," says Li Ying, a researcher from the China Printing Museum.

Ying has been demonstrating printing techniques at the interaction-based installation.
According to Ying, it is the popularity of Buddhism among Indians that is drawing such a huge crowd to the stall.
The illustration of the Shakyamuni Buddha expounding to his disciples is a part of the Diamond Sutra which is a Mahayana Sutra from a classic that was in fact written in ancient India in 494BC.
"The illustration is a perfect representation of the great printing techniques of the Tang Dynasty," says Ying.
The Chinese tea stall is more vibrant with the presenters dressed in traditional attire showcasing the different types of tea consumed in China and demonstrating their respective preparations.

Wang has also authored a book on tea titled, "The stories
of tea, tracing origins of the world's popular drink."
While there are nearly 60 different varieties of tea available across China, Wang and her team have brought along six of the best flavours - green tea, the black tea, the white tea, the yellow tea, the dark tea and the Oolong tea - with them and visitors can grab small cups of each flavor, besides taking home small packets of tea.
"Black tea alone in China is of six types including an inclusive black tea, Jiuqu Hongmei, Lapsan Souchong, Jin jun mei, Dr. Su black tea and Keemun black tea," says Wang.

Over 50 publishers from across China have the best of their literary productions on exhibit besides an expansive India-Chinese translation display documenting the Chinese tomes that have been translated in any of the Indian languages and vice-versa.
The nine-day long fair is set to continue till January 17.