Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s2.t8.11

v2.c11.s2.t8.11

In 1991, Zhang Jun led a few students to study in India, and learned from Leela Samson who was a Bharatanatyam and Birju Maharaj, the king of Kathak. Those students were only eight or nine-year-olds at that time, but their performance was quite professional. Their performance in Madras and New Delhi produced a sensational effect. In 2003, Zhang Jun led the oriental class of Beijing Dance Academy to India again to learn and perform. They paid a visit to the Kalakshetra Academy of Arts, and also watched the performance of Kelucharan Mohapatra, the master of Odissi. The students' performance once again obtained the audiences' unanimous praise. On January 4, 2012, Zhang Jun died in Beijing. On January 11, *The Hindu*, an Indian national newspaper with the largest circulation in India, published a full-length article to report her deeds, expressing praise and recall.