The year of the horse is upon us and the same was celebrated at a Chinese new year reception at Hyatt Regency Kolkata recently. “In Chinese culture, the horse stands for vitality, loyalty and success. It carries our wishes for thriving careers, prosperous business and academic purpose. In this year of the horse, let us harness this pioneering spirit to gallop forward together towards a brighter future for China-India relations,” said Xu Wei, consul general of China, addressing the gathering at the reception.

Members of India Hong De perform a dragon dance

The gallop in bilateral relations is already perceivable. The consul general pointed out that China had resumed Indian pilgrimage to “the sacred mountain and lake in Xizang autonomous region” (Mt Kailash and Mansarovar) while India has restored tourist visas and direct flights to China. While one between Calcutta and Guangzhou was already operational, he hoped for more direct flights. There are talks of the city getting connected to Shanghai and Kunming in the coming weeks.

“The waters of Ganges and Yangtze flow separately but converge in the same ocean of civilisation,” he said, talking of the shared heritage of the Buddha, Tagore and tea. He also brought up China’s “cultural exports” like the blockbuster movie released in January 2025, Ne Zha 2, which grossed over 15 billion RMB (over $2.1 billion) in China, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time globally, and video games like Black Myth: Wukong, which is based on the 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West.

A child meets a dragon as the three wise men, Fuk, Luk and Sau, look on

The guests got a glimpse into Chinese culture right at the entrance, where they were greeted by a lion and the three wise men, in costume. “They are Fuk, Luk and Sau. The mascots stand for happiness, prosperity and longevity, respectively,” said James Liao, the founder of India Hong De. The lion dance group, formed in 2001, not only provided the mascots but also performed to kick off the cultural programme after the speeches.

A dozen students of St. Joan’s School sang a Chinese song in homage to their ancestors in chorus, under the baton of their teacher of Chinese language, Sreeja Hazra. There was also a Chinese Wushu demonstration. The final act was Airepati Abudurusuli, a Chinese student of Rabindra Bharati University pursuing a course in vocal music, who sang the Kishore Kumar monsoon hit Rimjhim gire sawan.