Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.13

v2.c11.13

India and China are two great powers of art, which have both created various types of colourful art forms and formed long-lasting and profound traditions. They are also ancient civilisations of the world whose cultural traditions have not been broken since antiquity. Due to the adjacency of geographical location, similarity of psychological feelings and constant human communication, the art exchange between the two countries can be traced back to the beginning of the Christian era. In ancient times, Buddhism was the main medium of exchange, with India having exported more while China imported in vast measure. As D D Kosambi, a famous historian in India, said in chapter V of *Ancient Indian Culture and History of Civilization* that things related to Buddhism, such as art and architecture in Burma, Thailand, Korea, Japan and Tibet of China, and even world art, will be inferior without the theme of Buddha influenced by India. This is true. In modern times, due to government support, such exchanges are more extensive, frequent and regularised. Art exchange between India and China is brilliant in mutual influence that can be substantiated by records and documents; it is the only one of its kind in the history of human cultural exchanges.