The Chinese delegation with Abhijit Banerjee in front of Cheena Bhavan. Picture by Snehamoy Chakraborty

Santiniketan, Jan. 20: A delegation from a Chinese university is on a weeklong visit to Visva-Bharati as part of a cultural exchange programme to study Rabindranath Tagore’s way of education.

The team from Yunnan University — 16 students and two teachers — arrived on January 15 and has toured Sangeet and Kala Bhavans. It has also attended dance and music classes, officials said.

“This is the first time a Chinese delegation of students and teachers has come to Visva-Bharati. Earlier, a few teachers had come to Cheena Bhavan (the Chinese department of the varsity). This team will learn about Tagore’s ideas and the culture we follow here,” said Abhijit Banerjee, the head of Cheena Bhavan, which is organising the tour.

Asked about the music classes the team has been attending over the past few days, student Wang Quan said: “This is a new experience for us. We liked the songs, the music and the dance forms. We have recorded on our cameras how classes are being held here. We will show them to our friends in China.”

Visva-Bharati officials said the team also liked the concept of open-air classes followed in departments such as Patha Bhavan.

According to the officials, the visit will help improve relations between the two varsities.

“In May last year, a team from Visva-Bharati visited Yunnan University for 10 days. The present delegation is part of the exchange programme. The theme was China-India friendship and co-operation. Visva-Bharati had signed an agreement with Yunnan University,” an official said.

Cheena Bhavan was opened for research by Tagore on April 14, 1937, to strengthen cultural ties between the two countries.

Visva-Bharati sources said Tagore decided to open the Chinese department after his visit to China in 1924.

“On his return he thought of setting up a department at Visva-Bharati to teach Chinese literature and culture and set up Cheena Bhavan in 1937. The poet invited Chinese scholar Tan Yunshan to become the chief of Cheena Bhavan,” an official of Visva-Bharati said.