The Economic Times
April 23, 2015
Pillars of India’s soft power such as Buddhism and Yoga will take centre stage during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China next month as President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang will join him at some high-profile events tracing the roots of cultural links between the two countries.
While Xi is expected to take Modi to the Wild Goose Pagoda, a spiritual structure in the ancient city of Xian, built to highlight famous Chinese Buddhist monk Xuan Zang’s journey to India in 645 AD, Li will join Modi at the iconic Temple of Heaven in Beijing for a public demonstration of Yoga and the Chinese martial art of Tai Chi.
Hectic preparations are underway for Modi’s visit expected to take place from May 14-16 during which he would visit Xian, the capital of Xi’s home province Shaanxi, followed by Beijing and Shanghai.
While officials were tight-lipped about the programme, the visit was expected to be high on optics with rare outings of Chinese leaders accompanying visiting dignitaries.
Chinese officials told PTI that Xi was keen to reciprocate the warm and innovative welcome accorded to him and his wife Peng Liyuan in Ahmedabad by Modi when they visited India last September with a host of cultural performances and visit to Mahatma Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram.
A similar reception awaits Modi on May 14 as a Chinese official said China will not lag behind in extending a warm and hearty reception to the prime minister on his first trip to China.
Xi was expected to recreate the hometown diplomacy which Modi displayed in Ahmedabad to strike a chord with him.
Also, Li is expected to join Modi in a grand event demonstrating India’s Yoga and China’s Tai Chi the twin fitness practices of the two ancient Asian civilisations.
The Temple of Heaven is regarded as the most iconic Chinese structure that was constructed in 1420 by the Ming emperor Yongle, where the Emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped the God of Heaven for good harvests.
The event is being organised in coordination with Chinese Wushu Association.
Also, China’s Yogi Yoga, one of the most successful Yoga training centres in China netting about USD 9 million annually with wide network all over the country is organising a massive three-day Yoga event with a number of famous Yoga teachers from India and abroad and about 1,000 people taking part.
Yogi Yoga is run by Yin Yan, former editor of the Chinese edition of the French fashion magazine Elle and her husband, Manmohan Singh Bhandari from Rishikesh.
Its big success highlights the popularity of Yoga which spread to almost all parts of China in recent years.
The event will kick off on May 16 and will be held at the famous Diaoyoutai Guest House during Modi’s visit, an invitation brochure issued here said.
Modi however will not attend it as he would be in Shanghai on May 16, the last day of his visit where he would address a big Madison Square-style event involving the Indian community in China.
Over 10,000 people are expected take part in the event for which invitations have been sent through local Indian associations in different Chinese cities.
With “pilgrimage to India’s ancient yoga wisdom” as the theme, sages and saints, leading scholars and famous masters of yoga and inheritors’ representatives of all schools of Indian yoga will be invited to Beijing to show the whole concept of Indian yoga to Chinese yoga practitioners, the invitation said.
Indian yoga masters will present nearly 40 authentic yoga courses including yoga philosophy, asana, pranayama, meditation, yoga therapy and other areas on the concept of “Tradition, Teaching and Transmission”, so that participants can understand overall concept of Indian yoga and experience various schools of Indian yoga.
“The conference is the most comprehensive Indian yoga event in China by far. It is also a very rare opportunity to get close to yoga and yoga masters,” the invitation said.
