Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c15.t1.9

v2.c15.t1.9

In 1924, Rabindranath Tagore visited China and it spread a wave of translating Indian literature, which was represented by Xu Dishan and Zheng Zhenduo. Tagore's visit promoted the establishment of Sino-Indian Cultural Society in 1930s and China Institute. Under the active operation by Tan Yun-shan and strong support by Cai Yuanpei, Tai Chi-tao, Tagore, etc., Sino-Indian Cultural Society was founded in 1934 in India, while the Visva-Bharati and Tagore was appointed as the chairman. Sino-Indian Cultural Society was founded in Nanjing in 1935 and Cai Yuanpei as the chairman. Under the promotion of Sino-Indian Cultural Society, China Institute in Visva-Bharati was founded in the year 1937, becoming the major institution for India to undertake Chinese students, training numerous scholars of Indian studies such as Wu Baihui, Fafang, Bazhou, Yang Yunyuan, etc. In 1940s, the Chinese scholars going to India for lecture and research through other channels included Jin Kemu, Wu Xiaoling, Xu Fancheng, Chen Hansheng, Chang Renxia, Chen Hongjin, etc who all became the important academic scholars in China and India later. In the same period, Ji Xianlin studied abroad. From the year 1935 to 1941, he mainly studied Sanskrit, Pali and Tocharian at Georg-August-University of Goettingen (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen) in Germany, and engaged in teaching and research work from the year 1943 to 1945.