India, China to release 1st encyclopedia of cultural contacts

India and China are set to release the first encyclopedia on their cultural contacts to bring the centuries-old civilisational links between the two neighbours into public domain.
The encyclopedia jointly finalised by the designated scholars of both the countries is expected to be released during the five day visit of Vice President M H Ansari to China starting tomorrow.
The idea of encyclopedia of India-China Cultural Contacts, which also covers the trade and diplomatic ties, was mooted during the visit of former Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao to India in December 2010.
The book traces back the centuries old civilisation links that started with the visit of Huen Tsang to India in the 7th century to bring Buddhist scriptures to China.

It, however, skips the difficult political and strategic relations between the two countries leading up to the 1962 Sino-India war, officials said.
It was stated to be a dynamic document which was expected to be improved in future as the relations progressed, they said.

The main purpose was to bring the history of many centuries of India-China cultural contacts into the public domain, making it easily accessible to people of both the countries.
The focus of the encyclopedia covers a wide aspect of cultural relations including movement of people, ideas, objects besides cultural interaction, its impact and the transformation such exchanges have brought about.

The encyclopedia was expected to provide new impetuous for the efforts to build close relations, damaged by the 1962 war and subsequent differences over the border dispute.
According to the scholars of India's Institute of Chinese Studies, which handled the project from the Indian side, the encyclopedia was expected to provide a much-needed boost to the effort to build popular consciousness and confidence in the shared cultural experience of India and China.
Like in many south east Asian countries, Buddhism has taken deep roots in China ever since scholars.
Xuan Zang (602 AD - 664 AD) travelled to India on foot to seek Buddhist sutras and believed to have brought about 657 Sanskrit texts with him and translated them into Chinese.

He along with another Chinese monk Fa-Hien paved the way for spread of Buddhism in China.