At least 11 Chinese scholars will take part in the two-day closing ceremony of the centenary of Rabindranath Tagore’s visit to China, scheduled for April 1 and 2 at Visva-Bharati’s Cheena Bhavana.

Cheena Bhavana is the centre for Chinese language and culture in the Visva-Bharati. Rabindranath Tagore set up the Cheena Bhavana in 1937.

The event has become a part of the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two Asian giants.

“This event is very important as it is part of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and China, where scholars from both countries will discuss Rabindranath Tagore and his connection with China, along with ways to improve ties between the two countries,” said Avijit Banerjee, the head of Cheena Bhavana.

Tagore visited China twice, in 1924 and 1928.

During his first visit, the first Asian Nobel laureate spent 49 days in the country, meeting several Chinese scholars, such as the minister of justice of the Republic of China and intellectual Liang Qichao (1873–1929), and the Chinese poet and writer Xu Zhimo (1897–1931).

“In the two-day event, at least 11 Chinese scholars from different universities in the neighboring country will take part in discussions with China-India relationship experts from our country to explore ways to improve ties,” the Cheena Bhavana head said.

“This will be helpful not only for the people of both countries but also for the entire world,” Banerjee added.

Apart from the Chinese scholars, the consul-general of China in Calcutta, Xu Wei, will participate in the first day of the mega event, which will be held on the Cheena Bhavana premises.

Visva-Bharati public relations officer Atig Ghosh said: “Our new vice chancellor, Probir Kumar Ghosh, will also attend the programme.”

Among the 11 scholars are Yu Longyu, who received the President’s Award for his expertise in ideology, and Tagore expert and Shenzhen University professor Huang Rong.

A senior Cheena Bhavana professor stated the primary aim of the event was to understand how Tagore is a subject of interest among the Chinese and revisit Tagore’s idea of ties between the two major Asian countries.

He said the event has gained more significance now, following Bangladesh’s growing bonhomie with China.

“The Indian government has taken this meeting very seriously and is encouraging us to organise the event with much fanfare, as it will play a key role in improving ties between the two countries,” a source said.