New Delhi, Jun 28: The current geo-politics and geo-strategy of India-China relations runs counter to the rich, ancient cultural linkages between the countries.
Of the four ancient civilised nations, namely Egypt, Babylonia, India and China, only the latter two have survived the ravages of history, with their systems and traditions largely intact.
As per early historical accounts, Emperor Huang Ti established the Chinese Empire in 2697 BC, an era which corresponds to the Harappan civilisation (2500 BC), which means that ancient Indian and Chinese civilisations have co-existed for over 4500 years!
​​With the introduction of Buddhism in China around 67 AD, cultural interaction between the two countries was strengthened.
As a result, more scholars from each side crossed over to the other in search of knowledge and enlightenment.
Thus, began the inter-mingling of Indian thoughts with that of Confucianism and Taoism. ​​Chinese pilgrims played a key role in furthering cultural exchanges between ancient India and China.
Fa Hien (AD 399 – 413, years of travel to India) gave an eye-witness account of the customs of India, Buddhist monasteries, teachings and Buddhist legends linked to these sites.
Hsuan Tsang (AD 629-645) had a more significant impact on introducing Indian culture to ancient China.
In addition to giving a first-hand account of Buddhist rituals, he introduced the prevalent social and cultural norms, urban life and architecture and eating habits of Indians to the Chinese.
He was also instrumental in translating a number of Buddhist texts into the Chinese language, for the benefit of his countrymen.
