The Chinese Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, took his first-ever train journey in the country on Monday, travelling from Howrah station to Shantiniketan. He is scheduled to stay for two days at Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan, Bolpur, under Birbhum district.
“Embarked on my first train journey in India from the iconic Howrah station, the vibrant heart of Kolkata: On route to the serene abode of Rabindranath Tagore – Shantiniketan. Experiencing Bengal’s timeless rhythm and beauty firsthand. What an experience,” shared Xu Feihong on X on Monday.
According to sources, the Chinese Ambassador boarded the Shantiniketan Express from Howrah at around 10 am and reached Shantiniketan at around 1 pm. He travelled in the chair car of the train. The ambassador led a team of nine members, including Chinese Consul General in Kolkata Xu Wei.
Visva-Bharati, located in Shantiniketan, is a central university founded by Rabindranath Tagore in 1921. Until independence, it functioned as a college.
“He arrived at around 1 pm. He visited Rabindra-Bhavana. He then visited Cheena Bhavana (Department of Chinese Studies). Tomorrow he is scheduled to meet the Vice Chancellor and thereafter will leave for Kolkata,” said a senior officer of Visva-Bharati.
According to Visva-Bharati University sources, the Ambassador and the delegation will stay overnight in Shantiniketan and attend a meeting with Vice Chancellor Probir Kumar Ghosh.
Rabindra-Bhavana, also known as the Uttarayan complex, includes museums and five houses where Rabindranath Tagore and his family lived. The complex holds a major portion of Tagore’s manuscripts, paintings, correspondence, and sketches, along with thousands of photographs taken of him.
“The architecture of the houses, the interior decoration, the pieces of furniture strewn about the rooms bring to life the persona of Tagore. Rabindra-Bhavana has 1,580 original paintings by Rabindranath and 554 by others. The photograph collection (11,380), the curio collection (3,855), and 52 statues,” according to the VB website.
Visva-Bharati’s Cheena-Bhavana (Department of Chinese Language and Culture), the oldest department of Chinese studies in India, was established by Tagore and Professor Tan Yun-Shan on April 14, 1937. VB has cultural and student exchange programmes with various Chinese universities.
In April this year, a team of Chinese scholars and experts visited Visva-Bharati University to attend an international seminar on Rabindranath Tagore, marking the 75th anniversary of India-China diplomatic ties.