India Needs a Cultural ‘Act East’ Policy for China

sino-indian relations

Sino-Indian relations had harmoniously co-existed for a much longer period than the modern era of conflicts. There’s an ancient solution to the modern problem

The recent standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh has created an outcry against China in the whole country. The Chinese actions are considered particularly belligerent, considering that the whole world is still reeling under the coronavirus outbreak, believed to have originated in Wuhan. After the Galwan Valley clashes, both sides have agreed to disengage from the flashpoint. Military-level talks are still on. These talks (military or diplomatic) would do well if they take a ‘leaf’ out of the ancient Indian wisdom.

The roots of interaction

Sino-Indian diplomacy initiatives date back to many centuries. The roots of interaction are too deep, transcending the geographical challenges and human limitations. The earliest evidence is Kautilya’s Arthashastra mentioning ‘reshampatt’, or silk cloth. Similarly, Zhang Qian’s Shi Ji recounts usage of silk and bamboo from China in the Bactrian Empire for merchants doing business in India. Unsurprisingly, this diplomacy was developed not by veteran statesmen or ministers but by the fellow ancient travellers, who used various routes to commute between the two countries.

Various routes were used to traverse between India and China. The Takla Makan desert in Central Asia was a strategic point offering routes via either Tarim Basin to Yarkand or via Kuchi to Kashgar. Each of these routes was among the busiest at that time. Another key route was the Road of Assam, which included Assam, Northern Burma, Sichuan and Yunnan. This was less-travelled due to the treacherous forests. Nevertheless, this route was used by Kashyap Matang and Dharmratna (Buddhist scholars).

Tibet was another popular route, which was generally used by the Buddhist monks from both countries. The travel in and out of Tibet was facilitated by the benign King of Tibet (Sangpo). Prabhakarmitr from India and Hu An Chao from China had used this route. Another one was the sea route, which extended from Guangzhou to Kanchipuram, South East Asia to Tonkin, Bay of Bengal to Sri Lanka, Java and then to China. Scholars like FaXian, Gunavarma and Parmarth used the sea route.

Cultural contacts

India-China cultural contacts involved various tenets for exchange, ranging from spirituality (Buddhism) to medicine to astronomy and literature to architecture. Buddhism had a great influence on building relations between the two countries. The pioneers were Kashyapmatang, Dharmratna, Dharmraksha (who knew 36 languages), etc. The Chinese Tang dynasty had witnessed the rise of Tiantai Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism, too, had spread as far as Yunnan but could not survive beyond the eighth century.

Not only people but places also played a major role in cultural exchanges between the two nations, noteworthy being Kashmir and Xinjiang. It is unfortunate that these two places, which had taught the gospel of peace, are currently themselves the hotbed of unrest. Eventually, these Buddhist pilgrimages receded as funding from monarchs faded. The Taizu of Song dynasty was the last official sponsor of Buddhist expeditions to India. However, Buddhism by then had contributed immensely to the development of Chinese phonology, vocabulary and translation studies.

In other fields like medicine, evidence has been found in books like Chinese Sui Shu, which mentions about Nagarjuna Prescriptions (Longshu Pusa Yaofang) and Nagarjuna Mind Cultivation (Longshu Pusa Yaoxingfang), implying the usage of ayurvedic concepts in Chinese medicine. Indian ophthalmology and ‘Gold grating’ for cataract were praised by the Chinese. Many of them cited Buddhist texts in believing in ‘four element theory’. Li Shizhen in the Ming Dynasty wrote Materia Medica, citing various Indian herbs and their prescriptions.

In the field of architecture, the art of making pagoda and cave temples was learnt from India by China. This led to the flourishing of Buddhist architecture in Nanjing, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Luoyang, etc. Similarly in the field of astronomy, various books were being translated by the Chinese like Abhidharma Kosa Shastra by Xuanzang.

Intellectuals and creative writers at that time were also not far behind. Various Chinese Zhi Guai or ‘ghost stories’ had strong Buddhist influence. Dharmaraksa, Kumarjiva and Dao’an were important translators from 1st to 6th centuries and Xuanzang, Yijing and Amoghvajra continued the legacy. A Chinese-Sanskrit dictionary was compiled by Yijing, Antabodha and Pragunmashish in collaboration. Translations were done both in Sanskrit and Chinese. Yan Cong of the Sui dynasty translated Guojia Xiang Rui Lu into Sanskrit and Prabhakarmitra at the court of Taizong became the chief translator of Buddhist sutras. Meanwhile, traders who were the protagonists in the people to people exchange continued their business in Indian gems, pearls, spices, cotton, medicine which attracted Chinese and Chinese musk, silk, porcelain which attracted India. It is said a Chinese by the name of Wang Xuance learnt the art of making cane sugar from India.

Harmonious coexistence

True, India has had its fair share of rivalry with its neighbour across the Himalayas. This along with China joining hands with Pakistan in an all-weather friendship has convinced many Indians that India does not share bonhomie with China. For a sustained period of time, India and China have been meeting on various strategic dialogues to resolve their border problems and other diplomatic issues. Yet, the results have been far from satisfactory.

However, Sino-Indian relations go beyond the modern times. Both countries had harmoniously co-existed for a much longer period than the modern era of conflicts. Sino-Indian cultural exchanges in the field of Buddhism, architecture, medicine, trade and literature had strong bearings on the first generation leaders of the two countries. Jawaharlal Nehru’s affinity towards China is not unknown, and Chinese Ambassador Hu Shih was also quoted as saying that “India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border”. If the two countries could get over their political whims and decide to collaborate at a stronger level through diplomatic initiatives, the world could witness a lesser number of conflicts. Maybe India needs a cultural ‘act east’ policy.

–Dr. Prachi Aggarwal is an Assistant Professor in Sanchi University, Madhya Pradesh. This essay is published in collaboration with NIICE, Kathmandu

 

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