Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.90

v2.c11.90

In 1957, Uday Shankar, the father of modern Indian dance, led a delegation to China for playing the musical *The Life of the Buddha*, with seven musicians using Indian musical instruments for accompaniment. In the same year, Indian dancer and film actor Kamala Lakshman and her sister Radha Lakshman visited China together with Indian cultural delegation. Their *Bharatnatyam* performance was highly praised by Chinese audience. The famous writer Bing Xin wrote the article *Impressions of Watching the Dance* to present the Lakshman sisters. On April 5, Lakshman sisters did a farewell performance in Beijing and at the farewell party, Mei Lanfang, the performing artist of Peking Opera, praised highly for their superb performances. These performances were highly successful, and they were the beginning of Chinese musicians and dancers knowing modern Indian performing arts.