How Tagore still shapes our vision for Sino-Indian ties 100 years on

One hundred years ago in May 1924, Rabindranath Tagore completed his first trip in China. The sensational visit of the Indian poet is still cherished by Chinese people today.

Since April, a series of activities have been held in China to celebrate the centennial commemoration of Tagore's visit and discuss the influence of Tagore's thoughts on the modern world and cultural exchanges between civilizations.

On April 17, the opening ceremony for a series of cultural events dedicated to poetry and Tagore's visit in 1924 was held at Fayuan Temple in Beijing. One hundred years ago, Tagore, along with Chinese architect and writer Lin Huiyin and Chinese poet Xu Zhimo, visited the temple to admire the temple's blooming lilacs and talked about poetry, marking a memorable moment in Chinese literary history.

At the ceremony, Surajit Tagore, a descendant of Tagore and also a renowned Indian dancer, expressed her wish of promoting cultural exchanges between China and India through a dance performance. She has visited China many times, and during a commemorative activity at Peking University, she said she has been striving to build a bridge of art communication between the two countries.

Zhang Xing, an associate professor in South Asian studies at Peking University, said that special courses on studies of Tagore's works have long been taught at the university. She believes that the legacy of Tagore's visit will continue to resonate with the people of both countries, enriching the current Sino-Indian relationship.

The Indian poet made the trip when cultural exchanges between China and India were hindered by Western colonialism. After returning from his visit to China, Tagore made unremitting efforts to establish Cheena Bhavana, also known as the Department of Chinese Language and Culture, at Visva-Bharati University in 1937. Located at Santiniketan in West Bengal, India, the department has been a center of Sino-Indian cultural studies and an important bridge for China-India friendship.

Professor Avijit Banerjee, also head of Cheena Bhavana, said Tagore was an important representative of Sino-Indian cultural exchanges in modern times and can be an important bridge for the two countries to deepen mutual trust and enhance friendship and cooperation.

Born in 1861, Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 with his best-known collection of poetry "Gitanjali," making him Asia's first writer to win the prize. Many of his collections of poems are well-known in China and some of his poems have been included in Chinese textbooks and have influenced generations of Chinese readers.

Speaking at the launching ceremony of an exhibition on Tagore's visit to Tsinghua University, Yang Bin, vice president of the university, said the commemorative activities are not only reminders of the predecessors' achievements in promoting cultural exchanges, but also inspirations for further communication with countries around the world.

About his visit to China in 1924, Tagore said that "I shall consider myself fortunate if, through this visit, China comes nearer to India and India to China – for no political or commercial purpose, but for disinterested human love and for nothing else."

As the world's two largest emerging markets, the bilateral relations of China and India become more important in the new era. Experts pointed out that the perception of China in India and vice versa is largely shaped by Western narratives, which often focus on the differences. To overcome this, more communication is needed between the two countries.