CHENNAI, India, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping travels to the southern Indian city of Chennai on Friday for his second informal meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi following their first in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in April last year.

Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal, it is a major cultural, economic and educational center of south India.

The city, together with the adjoining regions, constitutes the Chennai Metropolitan Area, one of the largest municipal economies in India.

Nicknamed "the Detroit of India," Chennai boasts more than one-third of India's automobile industry. Home to the Tamil film industry, it is also known as a major film production center in India.