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The most significant aspect of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China in May was the way he used culture as a diplomatic tool to boost relations with the host country. During his 3-day visit, Modi not only attended several cultural events, but also joined Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, to interact directly with Chinese citizens. While Modi’s overtures were well received, there were also many skeptics. Some were suspicious of Modi’s intentions, and some others were either disinterested or ignorant. With such diversified attitudes, it seems that the people-to-people relations between China and India still have a long way to go.
Xi’an – Chinese President Xi Jinping’s hometown – was Modi’s first stop in China. It’s not quite usual for Chinese top leaders to meet foreign guests outside Beijing, but in Modi’s case, an exception was made as a return gesture – Xi visited Modi’s hometown in Gujarat last September. Besides, Xi’an’s Buddhist connection was also symbolic of the cultural connection that Modi’s was seeking.
In Xi’an, the joint appearance of the two leaders attracted a huge, jubilant throng, whose passion was so strong that even the Indians were amazed by the spectacle. One Indian Tweeted: “Chinese are crazy about Modi!” However, the reason why the event attracted such crowds may be different. According to a response on BBS Tiexue Net, an Internet forum for people who are interested in military affairs, people wanted to see not Modi but President Xi, because it’s very hard to see him in such close quarters in a city like Xi’an. Another comment said people just came along for a ride: “I bet they don’t even know who Modi is.”
One of the most telling comments on the forum that attracted considerable attention was: “Assemblies or rallies of free will are not allowed in China. Consequently, the throng is definitely arranged by the government.”
Modi’s focus on cultural exchange was further demonstrated in the signing of 24 Agreements during this visit, which included 9 that dealt with culture. Two of them which related to yoga and spiritual pursuit perfectly reflected Modi’s desire to leverage ancient Indian physical and spiritual regimen as a tool of diplomacy. Yoga indeed sparked much interest among the Chinese. After lobbying the United Nations to declare June 21 as the International Yoga Day, Modi also posted a series of Yoga tutorials on Weibo. Though some complained about the English subtitles of the instructive videos, which they hoped could be in Chinese, most seemed to like the tutorials.
Buddhism is another shared tradition that could deepen Sino-Indian relations. Buddhist tourism is a potential that India has yet to realize. For instance, last year, only 170,000 Buddhist tourists visited India. Considering that China alone has nearly 300 million Buddhists, the potential is limitless. The main concerns of Chinese tourists about traveling in India are the decrepit infrastructure and the lack of security. To address them, Modi has formulated a program named “Buddhist Circuit” to improve the facilities of all major Buddhist sites in India. Modi also announced that he would grant e-visas to Chinese tourists, much to the surprise of Indian security and intelligence agencies.
Yet, Chinese themselves don’t seem to be enthused by Modi’s gesture, particularly those who are prejudiced against India. “I don’t dare to go to India. All those rapes and violent assaults scared me,” a commentator wrote in Santaihu – a website, whose view is typical of general Chinese perception of India. Some comments on the website betrayed even greater contempt for India: “I don’t care whatever the visa they give us, I’ll never go to India anyway.” Of course, there are others who don’t share such negativity. “India is a beautiful country, and not that chaotic as you think it would be. The grant of e-visa will make travel easier. As soon as I get enough money I’ll set out for that country,” noted one netizen.
The only thing that really seems to please the Chinese with regard to India is Bollywood films. Salman Khan’s “P.K.” in particular has impressed Chinese with its sophisticated production values. A blogger who watched the pirated copy of the film, “P.K.” commented: “Though I couldn’t understand a word of it, I was still inspired by the charisma of this powerful movie. The laughter is incessant, and I’m deeply impressed.”
“P.K.” was a real blockbuster in China. One film critic attributed its popularity to the similarities between Chinese and Indian cultures. He said that the story line of the movie struck a chord with the Chinese audience. The social issues it dealt with were so much like the ones in China, that it instantly became a sentimental bridge between the two countries, he said.
The high production qualities of “P.K.” also revealed the relative low standards of Chinese movies. “I’ve never imagined that the contrast between Chinese and Indian movies would be so great,” said another film critic. “While Chinese are still intoxicated with their conventional idea that India is a backward country, it is we who are lagging behind it,” he bemoaned.
Like Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said, people in both China and India lack the most basic understanding of each other. It’s hard to imagine how Sino-Indian ties would improve without a deepening of people-to-people relations and dispelling of stereotypes. It is in this context that Prime Minister Modi’s vision of finding common ground in religion, traditions and customs will have positive bearing on the relationship between Chinese and Indians.
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Sabrina Sui, a Chinese 9th Grader based in New York, is a summer intern at News India Times.
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