Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c15.s2.t55: Tan Yun-Shan
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c15.s2.t55
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Tan Yun-Shan
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Tan Yun-shan (October 10, 1898 - February 12, 1983), a Chinese scholar trained in Chinese Philosophy, Buddhism, History and Literature, lived in India for more than half a century. During this period, he taught in Visva-Bharati, Shantiniketan, and through various educational and cultural activities made seminal contribution to the enhancement of India-China cultural ties. Under the guidance of Rabindranath Tagore, he established Cheena Bhavana, the first institution in modern India to be engaged in teaching Chinese language, culture and philosophy. Regarded as an ambassador of India-China cultural affinity and friendship, Tan Yun-shan was conferred the title of ‘*Desikottama*’ by Visva-Bharati in 1979.
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Tan Yun-shan was born in Hunan province of China into a family of scholars. As a child, he studied Chinese traditional culture and was later admitted to the senior elementary school of Chaling County to receive new modern education. After graduation, he continued his study in Changsha Chengnan College.
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*Mr & Mrs Tan Yunshan with Tan Chung (three of them at the centre) and other friends, photographed in 1929*
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He was admitted to Hunan First Normal School in 1915. As a student he joined the Xinmin Society and the New Culture Society founded by Mao Zedong, organised a new literary group, the New Literature Society and edited the ‘*New Literature*’ weekly. In 1919, he entered the Changsha Chuanshan College and engaged in academic research.
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From 1924, he taught in schools in Southeast Asia in Singapore and Malaysia. In July 1927, he met Rabindranath Tagore in Singapore and accepted the invitation of Tagore to teach in Visva-Bharati (International University). Tan Yun-shan travelled to India the very next year to join Shantiniketan, India, and thus began the journey of a lifelong interaction and commitment, of intellectual and cultural symbiosis. It is a fact that has been acknowledged by many eminent scholars of Tagore Studies that Tagore played a pivotal role in nurturing and blooming of Tan Yunshan, thoroughly consecrated to the cause of India-China cultural concord.
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Having accepted Tagore’s offer of Professorship of Sino-Indian Studies in Visva-Bharati, Tan Yun-shan was entrusted with the task of building Cheena-Bhavana as the perfect repository of their shared dream, as the first learning and research centre of Chinese language, literature and culture, as first modern-day symbol of India-China cultural interface. This task went beyond the academic construction of a discipline that has come to be known today as China Studies; it included the mundane task of raising funds which involved many arduous journeys back and forth between India and China. More importantly, Tan Yunshan’s efforts for this cause were based in enhancing awareness and understanding of each other’s contemporary society and culture, rooted in re-inforcing that cultural interface threatening to ‘relapse into forgetfulness’. In other words, while Tan Yun-shan found in Tagore a visionary mentor, Tagore saw in him the personification of his ‘*Visvakarma*’, a world-worker, a true constructor of human culture who would go beyond all personal interests to fulfill this vision. Tan Yun-shan was the first bird from afar and Cheena-Bhavana the first nest in Tagore’s Visva-Bharati, built on the foundation of a Vedic dictum ‘*yatra visva bhavati eknidam*’ (the world becoming one nest). It is no accident that he came to be known as Xuanzang of modern times, as he clearly wanted to retrace the great monk’s footsteps so that he could re-claim the threads of India-China cultural contacts that had been relapsing into shadowy depths of forgetfulness.
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Through the decades as Tan Yun-shan went back and forth between India and China raising funds for Cheena-Bhavana, he fulfilled another very important role, that of the people’s emissary. This is of special significance, because on one hand, both societies with strong traditional roots were grappling with their transition into modernity, trying to find the right balance, and on the other, having similar historical experience of having to assert their rights of self-determination, they were facing innumerable geo-political challenges of a tumultuous world. It was through this difficult period in history that he carried India’s message of love, support and peace to the Chinese people. Especially during the Japanese aggression towards China, as Tagore was engaging in a deep philosophical debate on issues of human civilisational values with the Japanese poet Noguchi, Tan Yun-shan was carrying back messages of support from Tagore, Jawaharlal Nehru, Netaji Subhash C Bose and other iconic figures of India.
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These efforts by Rabindranath Tagore and Tan Yun-shan went hand-in-hand with fund-raising activities, and witnessed the establishment of Sino-Indian Cultural Society first in Nanjing, China, in 1933, under the active support of the government of Republic of China and celebrities from all walks of life. Cai Yuanpei became the first Director General of the institute, and Tan Yun-shan served as the secretary and took charge of specific matters. On this basis, Tan Yun-shan contacted senior officials of the Chinese government for financing the establishment of a Chinese institute in Visva-Bharati University. This initiative was supported by Chiang Kai-shek and Dai Jitao, president of the Examination Yuan of the Republic of China, so the Central Government of the Republic of China facilitated the cultural exchanges between China and India. Before long, Dai Jitao, Chen Lifu, Zhu Jiahua, et al., became leaders of the Sino-Indian Cultural Society, and Tan Yun-shan took up the post of the director general and took charge of the communication with the Indian side.
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The India chapter of the Sino-Indian Cultural Society was established in Shantiniketan, India in 1934. Tan Yun-shan went to India the same year in spring again with the message of the government of the Republic of China, and discussed matters about the establishment of a Chinese institute with Tagore. In April, Tagore wrote a letter to Dai Jitao about constructing the building of Cheena Bhavana and its estimated costs. In May, Dai Jitao replied to Tagore and expressed the vision of realising the India-China cultural exchange plan. In October, Tan Yun-shan returned to China and brought back four letters of Tagore to the President of the government of the Republic of China Lin Sen, the Judicial Yuan President Ju Zheng, the Academia Sinica President Cai Yuanpei and the Examination Yuan President Dai Jitao respectively. Tan Yun-shan spent more than a year to raise funds for the establishment of Cheena Bhavana. He purchased 100,000 volumes of Chinese books and got a donation of 50,000 volumes of books on Buddhism, Classics, History, Philosophy, Literature and Arts, etc., for the institute.
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In 1936, Tan Yun-shan returned to India again with the funds raised and the books purchased. Tagore was overwhelmed by the Chinese response and a prime location was allocated for the construction of Cheena Bhavana that started the same year. The construction was completed in record time and was inaugurated on April 14, 1937, coinciding with the first day of the Bengali New Year - ‘*Nababarsho*’. Tagore presided over the unveiling ceremony in person and delivered a historic speech. Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru wrote letters to congratulate the founding of Cheena Bhavana and expressed regret for not being able to attend the unveiling ceremony. After learning of the formal unveiling of Cheena Bhavana, Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram of congratulations to Tagore. Cai Yuanpei, Dai Jitao and Chen Daqi also jointly sent a congratulatory telegram. After the founding of the Cheena Bhavana, Tan Yun-shan became the president of the institute and also gave lectures there. Over the years, Cheena Bhavana saw the arrival of many scholars of Buddhism, Chinese Literature and Philosophy, from China and Thailand who made it their home as they engaged in in-depth study and discourse.
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On July 7, 1937, China witnessed the occurrence of the Lugou Bridge Incident and an all-out outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War. In 1938, Tan Yun-shan returned to China and brought back to Chiang Kai-shek letters from Tagore and Subhash Chandra Bose, the then President of Indian National Congress, to express support for China’s Anti-Japanese War. In 1939, Tan Yun-shan brought his wife and two children to India and devoted himself to the works of Cheena Bhavana in Visva-Bharati. In the same year, he made crucial efforts to promote Nehru’s visit to China. In 1940, he actively facilitated Dai Jitao’s visit to India and accompanied him to meet Mahatma Gandhi; he also managed to facilitate the visit of Chinese Buddhist delegation led by Master Tai Xu to India. In 1942, during his visit to India, Tan Yun-shan arranged the meeting between Chiang Kai-shek and Nehru, and accompanied Chiang Kai-shek and his wife to visit Visva-Bharati. In 1944, under the aegis of Sino-Indian Cultural Society, Tan Yun-shan successfully facilitated the visit of Indian philosopher Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, to give lectures in Chongqing and other places in China.
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Mao Zedong meets Tan Yunshan in 1956
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After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in 1945, Tan Yun-shan came back to China to receive the “Victory Order” given by the Nationalist government for his contribution. In 1947, he returned to China to establish the Datong School in Changsha. In 1948, he was appointed the cultural commissioner by the National Government and went back to India and worked in Visva-Bharati University. On April 1, 1950, China and India formally established diplomatic relations. Tan Yun-shan wrote a letter to Mao Zedong as an old schoolfellow of Changsha First Normal School. In 1952, Yuan Zhongxian, the then Chinese ambassador to India visited Tan Yun-shan in Shantiniketan, and again made Tan Yun-shan a man of the day for India-China cultural exchanges.
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In September 1956, Tan Yun-shan was invited to return home to visit and attended the National Day celebration. He met Mao Zedong at Zhongnanhai, and spent the next two months to visit many other cities. He also had the chance to meet Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai and Li Weihan in Beijing. He had the longest talk with Premier Zhou Enlai and shared his insights on promoting India-China friendship. On January 30, 1957, Premier Zhou accompanied by Marshal He Long went to Shantiniketan to receive the honourary degree given by Visva-Bharati University. In September 1959, Tan Yun-shan was once again invited to return to China. He brought with him a specially printed booklet of poems to show his patriotism and the resolution to further advance India-China cultural exchanges, peace and friendship.
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When Tagore breathed his last on August 7, 1941, Tan Yun-shan lost his friend and mentor, a visionary who truly understood the scope and significance of India-China cultural interactions in the modern world, and thus the importance of Cheena-Bhavana. But the monumental responsibility with which Tagore had entrusted Tan Yun-shan continued, who devoted his existence to fulfill the dream that he had shared with Tagore, for growth of India-China Cultural Studies and development and expansion of Cheena-Bhavana. Tan Yun-shan retired from Visva-Bharati University in 1967, but he still lived in Shantiniketan after retirement. In 1971, Tan Yun-shan went to Bodh Gaya and embarked on another cultural project, the establishment of World Buddhist Academy in Bodh Gaya. In many ways this was an extension of Tagore’s vision of world harmony; Tan Yun-shan lived and continued to work on this project till he breathed his last on February 12, 1983. Unlike the Chinese monks who undertook pilgrimages to India in ancient times, this modern day Xuanzang did not return to his country of birth, but found a place for himself in Shantiniketan, Tagore’s ‘world-nest’.
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During his lifetime Tan Yun-shan wrote many books in English and Chinese. By 1957, he had published more than thirty essays in English that were compiled together in ‘*Professor Tan Yun-Shan and Cultural Relations between India and China*’ (Indo-Asian Publication, 1958). This is also his representative work in English and included monographs, comments, speeches, articles and memoirs introducing Chinese culture written through 1930s and 1940s. His Chinese works included the collection of poems such as ‘*On the Sea Shore—A Collection of Poems*’ (Guangzhou, 1930), ‘*On the Indian Ocean—A Collection of Poems*’ (Guangzhou, 1931), monograph entitled ‘*World Calendar and Calendarial Revolution*’ (Nanjing, 1933), collection of essays on Indian society, folk custom, religion, historical sites and Anglo-Indian relations, entitled ‘*Travels In India*’ (Nanjing, 1933). His collection of essays ‘*Rambles on India*’ (Shanghai, 1935) gives an introduction of Indian politics, economy, thought, culture, religion, society, and other aspects. These works has provided the first hand information to Chinese scholars to make further studies on India and had a great impact on China. His other works include the translated work of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, ‘*Indian Home Rule*’ (Shanghai, 1935), ‘*Records of Six Great Buddhist Sacred Places of *India*’ (Shanghai, 1935), ‘*Mahatma Gandhi*’ (Nanjing, 1936) and so on. Tan Yunshan’s book titled ‘*Saint-Poet Tagore and the Sino-Japanese War*’ (Chongqing, 1939) discusses at length Tagore’s civilisational discourse, his solidarity with the Chinese people in the Anti-Japanese War and his condemnation of Japanese Fascists. His long reports ‘*The Sympathy of Indian People toward China in Her Struggle for Freedom*’ (Chongqing, 1939) expressed Indian people’s friendship and support for the Chinese people. His other books include the collection of speeches ‘*Lectures on Modern China*’ (Chongqing, 1939) and the essay ‘*Reminiscence of the South Sea*’ (Singapore, 1950).
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Book release ceremony of a book on Tan Yunshan at the Sino-Indian Cultural Forum
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In November 1998, scholars from the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Peking University held a symposium to commemorate the 100ᵗʰ birth anniversary of Tan Yun-shan and to recall his contributions to India-China friendship. In November 2008, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship, Peking Univeristy, Beijing Foreign Studies University and Shenzhen University co-organised a grand international academic meeting to mark the 110ᵗʰ birth anniversary of Tan Yun-shan and Prabodh Chandra Bagchi. “Tan Yun-shan Memorial Hall of Sino-Indian Friendship”, which houses all documents of Tan Yun-shan donated by his son Tan Chung, and was officially unveiled in Shenzhen University the same year.
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(*Sabaree Mitra*)