Spanish Sinologist spreads joy in literature

GRANADA, Spain - Alicia Relinque who has been translating ancient Chinese literary works into Spanish for decades says she has found the key to happiness.

"It is the Chinese literature," says Relinque, a Sinologist and professor at the University of Granada where she teaches Chinese literary theory and criticism, Chinese theater and cinema, and general theory of Chinese language and literature. She's also director of the university's Confucius Institute.

A modest lady in her 50s, the professor becomes eloquent when talking about Chinese culture and classic literature. Her translations include The Peony Pavilion by Tang Xianzu, a romantic play about a tragicomic love story written in the 16th century, and The Orphan of Zhao, a drama written in the 13th century, which is similar to Hamlet.