Han Chengyuan

If you locate Yunnan on a world map, you will find

the province in southwest China is a pivot of China's opening-up to South and Southeast Asia. It shares a combined 4,000-kilometer border with Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. With a total area of 394,000 square kilo-meters, Yunnan is China’s only region with direct land links to South and Southeast Asia.

If you trace Yunnan in a history book, you will find that the Southern Silk Road -- f irst established m o re t h a n 2 , 0 0 0 y e a r s ago – wandered through Yunnan, and took Chinese traders to Myanmar, In-dia and even Middle East. During WWII, the Burma Road, t he Hump Route and the Stilwell Road (aka the China-India Road), all traversed Yunnan, which made great contributions to the victory in the war against fascism.

In C hines e , Yunnan is often referred to by the single character “Dian” ( ), after its largest freshwater

lake. The provincial capital is Kunming, which sits on the lakeshore.

Yunnan is the most di-verse province in all China, both in its mix of peoples and in the splendor of its landscapes.Yunnan today

attracts more and more visitors with its picturesque landscape and colorful cul-tures.

One can visit the Stone Forest, and the Puzhehei Scenic Area, both featur-ing innumerable caves and

unique Karst landscapes. In the province’s north one can find snow-capped peaks and glaciers including Meili and Yulong mountains. One can also explore the numerous geothermal spr ings and volcanoes, as well as vast

expanses of flower-studded wet lands in Tengchong County in the west. The south is highlighted by the tropical rainforest of Xish-uangbanna. The central plateau, where the capital lies, features a mild climate and blooming flower all year around.

Yunnan boasts unique ethnic cultures as wel l . There are 26 indigenous ethnic groups in Yunnan, of which 15 are only found here. These people have passed down myriad cus-toms and festivals. Some of the highlights include the Dai people’s Water Splash-ing Festival (also known as Songkran in some South-east Asian countries), the Yi Torch Festival, and the Jingpo Munao Zongge Fes-tival.

Throughout his tor y, Yunnan people have made their marks. Six hundred years ago, Admiral Zheng He led seven heroic sea voy a ge s to S out h As i a , t h e M i d d l e E a s t a n d East Africa, first opening the Maritime Silk Road. Nie Er, a household name

in China, composed the nat iona l anthem of the People’s Republic of Chi-na. And countless unnamed heroes fought for world peace side by side with their international allies on the battlefields of World War II.

Today's Yunnan is es-tablishing itself as an im-portant gateway in China’s opening-up to South and Southeast Asia. In recent years , the China-S outh Asia Exposition, the Chi-na International Tourism F a i r , a n d m a n y o t h e r regional events have tak-en place in Yunnan. The development of a number of international coopera-tion initiatives, including the Mohan (China)-Boten (Laos) Cross-Border Eco-nomic Cooperation Zone, t h e Ru i l i D e ve l opm e nt a n d O p e n P i l o t Z o n e , and the Kunming Com-prehensive Bonded Zone, are bringing closer part-nerships between Yunnan and its neighbors. Today’s Yu n n a n i s l i te ra l ly b e-coming a new gateway for China’s opening-up to the world.

The Pioneer Saturday, October 15, 2016YUNNAN DAILY PRESS GROUP

english.yunnan.cn

India,Yunnan growing ever closer

Luo Rongchan

China is known as the “fac-tory of the world”, while

India earns a reputation as the “back office to the world”. In the era of globalisation, the contact and cooperation between these two emerging economies is naturally on the rise.

Yu n n a n i s C h i n a’s southwestern frontier prov-ince geographically close to India. As a messenger it contributes to promoting bi latera l exchanges and c o o p e r a t i o n , a n d a d -vancing the India-China friendship. An important h u b a l o n g t h e f a m o u s Southern Silk Road, Yun-nan once played an enor-mous role in both trade and cultural exchanges between

China and India.Based on such historical

ties, India and China, in particular Yunnan Province, all call for stronger transport connections and coopera-tion, especially as bilateral trade increases and cooper-ation expands. As a result, the rapid development of Yunnan’s opening-up is bringing India ever closer. In recent years, the two sides have seen substantive cooperation and exchanges in areas including trade, cul-ture, tourism, education and healthcare.

Currently, India and Yunnan are connected by several air routes including Kunming-Kolkata and Qing-dao-Kunming-New Delhi, all with growing passenger

totals.India has become an

important source market for Yunnan tourism. Mean-while, a number of travel routes in India -- such as the traditional Golden Triangle (Delhi-Jaipur-Agra) tour, the Mumbai-Hyderabad-Delhi business tour, and the Vara-nasi-Khajuraho-Ganges reli-gion-culture tour -- are quite popular among tourists from Yunnan.

In 2002, Yunnan and the West Bengal Econom-i c C o o p e r at i o n Fo r u m (also known as the K2K -- Kunming to Kolkata) co-operation mechanism was initiated by the Research Center of the Yunnan Pro-vincial Government and the Maulana Abul Kalam

Azad(MAKA) Institute of Asian Studies. A decade af ter i t s es tabl i shment , the annually held forum, which is the only prov-i n c e - s t at e c o op e r at i on mechanism between India and China, yielded a se-ries of fruitful results.

T h e s u c c e s s o f t h e BCIM (Bangladesh-Chi-na-India-Myanmar) Car Rally greatly enhanced the interconnectivity among the four countries involved. With concerted efforts and concrete actions, the BCIM Economic Corridor witness-es fresh progress.

Today, more and more Indian students choose to study at universities and col-leges in Yunnan in the hope of realizing their dreams in

this foreign land.The India Yoga Insti-

tute founded at Yunnan Minzu University, became t h e f i r s t o f i t s k i n d i n China . Ever y day, yoga masters from India lead Chinese practitioners in their quest for the unity of man and nature, mind and body.

Therefore, in the new wor l d e c on om i c ord e r, we expect India and Chi-na to make new engines for world economy and s e t a n e w e x a m p l e o f mutual benefits and win-win cooperation. As part of this process, Yunnan will continue to act as a br idge for constr uc t ive ties between the two gi-ants.

Yunnan in brief

Message

Mr Xu Tiyi President of the YDPG

Mr Chandan MitraEditor-in-chief of The Pioneer

INDIA AND

CHINA CALL

FOR STRONGER

TRANSPORT

CONNECTIONS AND

COOPERATION,

ESPECIALLY AS

BILATERAL TRADE

INCREASES.

Where is Yunnan?

K2K: A WINDOW FOR

INDIA-CHINA COOPERATION

YOGA BECOMES POPULAR

IN YUNNAN

WORLD HERITAGE

SITES IN YUNNAN

ECONOMY 2 TRAVEL 4CULTURE 3

Contact us:Phone: (+86)871-

64166895/64191465Email: aicewong@163.com

Address: 337 XinWen Road,Kunming,

Yunnan,PRC

As the country of honour at the 3rd China-South Asia Expo, India sent a delegation of at least 200 businessmen to Kunming to promote "Made in India" brand. Photo by Zhang Tong

A d j a c e n t t o I n d i a , Southwest China's Yunnan province has constantly attached importance to the exchanges and coopera-tion with India. Provincial high-ranking officials made a number of visits to India in recent years. India was the country of honor both at the 3rd China-South Asia Exposition and 2015 China International Travel Mart held in Kunming last year. We see tremendous opportunities and a bright prospect for India-Yunnan cooperation.

Currently, Yunnan is strengthening the coop-erat ion with S outh and Southeast Asian countries in areas including econo-my, trade and culture. To promote people-to-people exchanges, Yunnan Daily

Press Group(YDPG) also e n h an c e s t he e xchang -es and cooperation with mainstream media in the region.

O u r c o o p e r a t i o n with The Pioneer , one of the most influential and authoritative newspaper in India , marks a go o d starting point. The launch of ne ws page aims to introduce t o I n d i a n r e a d e r s t h e latest situation of Yunnan and provide information c o n c e r n i n g b i l a t e r a l investment and commerce, tourism, exchanges and visits , so as to promote our cooperation in various areas including economy, culture and tourism.

It gives me great pleasure to launch and introduce you to the Yunnan Daily ,which will be running a supplement with The Pioneer from today, the first media alliance of its kind. This is a pioneering partnership which will enhance people-t o - p e o p l e c o n t a c t a n d understanding between the Chinese gateway province of Yunnan and India.

India and Yunnan have traded silk, spices, and tea.Even in mo der n t imes , well-known trading compa-nies in Yunnan maintained trade and commercial ties with India, a legacy which could be revived for mutual benefit.If it was Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou s o f ar, Ku n m i ng i s t h e new arrowhead of China’s opening up to a new world. India has been a consistent feature at its trade shows

and expos last year. The Yunnan University even has a language course in Hindi. The young Chinese are ke e n to e x p e r i e n c e India as a whole through the link with Kolkata and know more about the land where Buddha was born. India itself is keen on a socio-cultural engagement with China with a new-found openness.

We thought The Pioneer,a 1 5 2 - y e a r - o l d p a p e r, which has mapped much of our nation’s history, would be the perfect conduit in continuing the legacy of cooperation and human touch. I welcome all our r e a d e r s t o e x p e r i e n c e Yu n n a n a s a g a t e w a y t o C h i n a t h r o u g h t h i s supplement.

YUNNAN DAILY

PRESS GROUP

IS IMPROVING

THE ABILITY TO

COMMUNICATE

EFFECTIVELY WITH

INTERNATIONAL

AUDIENCES.

WE HAVE TIED UP

WITH YUNNAN DAILY

PRESS GROUP

SIMPLY BECAUSE

INDIA HAS HAD A

CLOSE CONNECTION

WITH YUNNAN FOR

OVER 2,000 YEARS.

Dear Friends,

It is our honor to present to you the launch issue of Chi-

news pages.

Committed to helping the Indian know more about Chi-

community, is an important source of infor-

and culture.

In the initial issue, you will find in four pages how close

China, and what we can expect for the bilateral cooperation.

We thank you for your interest and support. We will

meet you here every Wednesday.

Editorial Team

To our readers

●Yunnan is a land of mountain, with 94 percent of the province is alpine regions.

●Six major river systems including the Mekong, the Salween and the Red past the province.

●There are 26 indigenous ethnic groups in Yunnan,of which 15 are only found here

●It is also a kingdom of plants and wildlife, with a rich source of biological diversity

November 20, 2015, a special farewell party

was held at the Yunnan Exp o Garden Hote l for the 12 Indian students. Six months ago, none of them knew anything about Chi-na. But now they found it hard to say goodbye. Twen-ty-three-year-old Pavan from Mumbai said, “I was a bit worried before I came. But when I arrived, I soon found the people here were quite friendly and helpful, w h i ch m a d e m e fe e l at home. We all love it here. This is my happiest experi-ence ever.”

Indian staff can often be seen in the lobby, restaurant, kitchen and housekeeping depar tments of Yunnan Expo Garden Hotel. While they were getting trained here, they also established unforgettable ties with this country.

It was the first time for IIHM to send students to Chinese hotels. Previous-ly, IIHM, as one of India’s largest hotel management chains, had always chosen the US, the UK, Thailand, Singapore, Dubai and oth-er countries for overseas internship. Starting in the second quarter of 2015, the Yunnan Expo Garden Hotel and Kunming Hotel were listed as new training bases for the institute. This is also the first hotel management cooperation project between India and China.

The first working day in China was fresh to 19-year-old Affan. It was a new start and an unusual experience. Affan was going to work in the housekeeping depart-ment in the first week.

Affan told us, to in-tern at overseas hotels is an important part of the IIHM curriculum. Many students chose hotels in the US, Dubai and other countries, but he wanted to try something differ-ent. “China is so close to us, but why we know little about each other? Why is

China developing so fast? I wanted to go and f ind answers.” Out of such curiosity, Affan be-gan his internship in China.

A f t e r s i x months, Affan said, “It’s been s u r pr i s i ng l y m a r v e l o u s ! ” He had worked at many different p os i t ions and in many departments at the hotel. However, his schoolmates in other countries, a l-though grant-ed higher allow-ances, basically work at only one department throughout their intern-ships. “It’s important that we’ve been respected during our stay in China. We are so happy to feel the friendship and kindness of the Chinese people.”

During his six months in China, Affan studied Chinese language and cul-ture, and visited many plac-es of interest in Kunming. He and his friends also had a great time celebrating traditional and local festi-vals and attending events such as the China-South Asia Expo and the China Int e r n at i o n a l To u r i s m Fair. Affan has the idea of opening a Chinese-style hotel back in India after he graduates, saying, “I want to bring Chinese element to my hotel.”

Avirash from Kolkata felt very lucky to have the chance to study in China. “The managers here treat us as equals. They often help us out in person and are very friendly. This is quite an invaluable experience,” he says.

According to the Yun-nan Expo Tourism Group, such internship programs usually last six months and are expected to expand to cover more regions in In-dia and other South Asian countries soon.

In 2015, the Chinese gov-ernment put Yunnan in a

unique position as a pivot of China's opening-up to South and Southeast Asia. On the one hand, Yunnan needs to advance the construction of an international trans-port corridor connecting China with neighbouring countries,and develop a new highlight of economic coop-eration in the Greater Me-kong Sub-region; while on the other, there is a pressing need for Yunnan to acceler-ate its pace in developing the BCIM Economic Corridor (BCIMEC) as China’s gate-way to South Asia.

Yunnan is a proactive promoter and beneficiary of economic cooperation in the BCIM region.

According to Ma Jun, Director General of Yun-nan International Regional Cooperation Office, BCIM countries have seen intensi-

fied exchanges and expand-ed mutual trust in recent years. Improved transport networks were the f i rst breakthrough. In 2007, an old railway link between India and Bangladesh was restored, and construction of a missing sect ion on the Bangladesh-Myanmar road was put on the two governments’ agendas. Ad-ditionally, new flight routes including Kunming-Man-dalay, Kunming-Dhaka, Ku n m i n g - K o l k a t a a n d Qingdao-Kunming-New Delhi, have been launched and now see growing de-mand.

People still remember the success of the First BCIM Car Rally in 2013, when 76 drivers, government officials, scholars, celebrities and journalists from the four countries drove across the region, receiving warm welcomes from locals along the way.

● Improved transport networks were the big break-through. ● The First BCIM Car Rally was held in 2013,

strengthening cooperation among the four countries.● In December 2013, the first meeting of the BCI-

MEC joint study group was held in Kunming, marking the official launch of the inter-governmental process.● At the fourth China-South Asia Expo and the

fourth China-South Asia Think-Tank Forum, both held in Kunming in June 2016, development plans for the BCI-MEC attracted extensive attention.

LUO RONGCHAN

In November 2015 in Kol-kata, the eleventh Yunnan

and West Bengal Economic Cooperation Forum, also known as the K2K Coopera-tion Mechanism, was co-or-ganized by the Yunnan De-velopment Research Center (YDRC) and the Indian Centre for Studies in Interna-tional Relations and Devel-opment (CSIRD). Focusing on the theme of promoting regional interconnectivity, some one hundred officials, experts, scholars and entre-preneurs from the two sides held in-depth discussions on how to enhance bilateral ex-changes and cooperation in the fields of transportation, tourism, education, culture and trade.

A series of activities under the title “Kunming Week” were launched concurrently. The event displayed specialty products from Yunnan in a bid to deepen extensive exchanges

and cooperation between In-dia and the province.

The twelfth K2K meeting will be held in Yunnan soon, and preparations are under-way. The two sides will focus more on pragmatic coopera-tion this year.

Thanks to the K2K mech-anism, the two regions have grown into close partners with mutual understanding and trust over the past ten years. These decade-long efforts laid a solid foundation for mutu-ally beneficial future develop-ments. The K2K mechanism had also played the role of pilot and trail-blazer for the deepening of cooperation be-tween India and China.

K2K has played a unique and important role in provid-ing high-quality intellectual support in promoting bilateral economic and social develop-ment. The same can be said of bilateral policy, infrastructure connectivity, trade flow, capital circulation and people-to-peo-

ple exchanges.In October 2013, Kolkata

and Kunming officially be-came sister cities. Experts in-dicated that the establishment of the first sister-city relations between India and China brought important develop-ment opportunities for both cities. Moreover, it intensified bilateral communications in both economy and cultural understanding.

Today, the two sides conduct regular high-level visits and non-governmental exchanges are also on the rise. These yield fruitful achieve-ments, including the opening of direct flights between Kol-kata and Kunming, as well as the establishment of consulates general in both Kolkata and Guangzhou.

The K2K forum has also become a platform for con-crete cooperation. At the tenth meeting, colleges, businesses and media groups from both sides signed MoUs on future

cooperation.It is worth mentioning

that in addition to the tradi-tional players, Assam, Bihar and Manipur also joined the tenth K2K meeting. Repre-sentatives from the Develop-ment and Research Center at China’s northeastern Heilong-jiang Province attended the meeting. Many other Chinese provinces and municipali-ties, including Chongqing, Guizhou and Guangxi, also expressed the wish to take part in the forum. Today’s K2K is leading both bilateral and multilateral connectiv-ity. The forum’s influence is not limited within India and China, but beginning to exert a positive impact on the BCIM (Bangladesh-Chi-na-India-Myanmar) eco-nomic corridor as well.

According to former Indian Foreign Secretary, Krishnan Srinivasa, “We are not only seeking to promote relations between West Ben-gal and Yunnan, but are also looking for a larger overall relationship. The message from K2K is not only com-posed of voices from Kolkata and Kunming, but also a call for deepened cooperation within the entire BCIM region. In this sense, K2K is also a platform for BCIM cooperation.”

Kong Can, Deputy Di-rector-General of YDRC, also believes that K2K has grown from a think-tank forum into a more constructive in-ter-governmental platform. He believes it plays a more pragmatic matchmaking role for businesses from the two countries.

The Yunnan and West Bengal Economic Co-

operation Forum was first proposed by the Research C enter of the Yunnan Provincial Government and the MAKA Institute of Asia Studies in 2002. The forum was later nick-named using the initials of Kolkata and Kunming, the capital cities of West Bengal and Yunnan, re-spectively.

S i n c e 2 0 0 2 , e l e v -en sec t ions have been h e l d , a l t e r n a t i n g b e -tween the two countries each year. Fruit ful re-sults have been reached and highly recognized by two governments, as K2K is the only provin-

c ia l -s tate cooperat ion m e c h a n i s m b e t w e e n India and China.

Cooperative efforts associated with K2K are c o mp r i s e d o f re g u l a r academic exchanges in the f ields of transport, trade, tourism, invest-ment and policy-making f o r g o v e r n m e n t s a n d businesses. Information s h a r i n g a n d d i a l o g u e between businesses of t h e t wo c ou nt r i e s , a s w e l l a s i nt e r- g ov e r n -m e n t a l c o o p e r a t i o n mechanisms including high- level provincia l /state meetings and joint work groups, help form a more stable bi lateral partnership.

BCIM countries have seen intensified exchanges and expanded mutual trust in recent years.

What is K2K

K2K: A window for India-China cooperation

Marvelous life as interns in China

I WAS A BIT WORRIED BEFORE I

CAME. BUT WHEN I ARRIVED, I SOON

FOUND THE PEOPLE HERE WERE

Q U I T E F R I E N D LY A N D H E L P F U L ,

WHICH MADE ME FEEL AT HOME. WE

ALL LOVE IT HERE.

THIS IS MY HAPPIEST

EXPERIENCE EVER.”

CHINA IS SO CLOSE TO US, BUT

WHY WE KNOW LITTLE ABOUT EACH

OTHER? WHY IS CHINA DEVELOPING

SO FAST? I WANTED TO

G O A N D F I N D

ANSWERS.”

Pavan,Indian student

“

In December 2013, the first meeting of the BCIMEC joint study group was held in Kunming, marking the official launch of the in-ter-governmental process. In December 2014, the second meeting of the joint study group took place in Bang-ladesh. There, joint country research reports were sub-mitted by each member. Now the third meeting is around the corner.

At t h e f o u r t h C h i -na-South Asia Expo and the fourth China-South Asia Think-Tank Forum, both held in Kunming in June 2016, development plans for the BCIMEC attracted extensive attention. Concur-rent to the events, the first meeting of the BCIMEC Commerce Alliance was launched. All participating parties hoped the alliance would serve as a platform for more dialogue between the public and private sectors,

and for business investment services of the four coun-tries.

E x p e r t s i n Yu n n a n have come up with a goal for future B CIMEC de-velopment. They project that by 2040, an intercon-nection between Kunming and Kolkata, covering all k e y c i t i e s a n d h a r b or s such as Mandalay, Myit-kyina, Dhaka and Chit-t agong w i l l b e for me d. Mult i- level cooperation with barrier-free policies wil l cover the entire re-gion, and more balanced economic cooperation and trade will be possible. Ad-ditionally, the projections will see the completion of various industrial parks across the region, push-ing the corridor to grow into a dynamic economic belt featuring sustainable environment and thrive cultural exchanges.

Yunnan aims to becomekey player in regional economic boom

YUNNAN DAILY PRESS GROUPYUNNAN

SATURDAY OCTOBER 15, 2016

Affan,Indian student

from the India Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) have completed their internships in Yunnan in August 2015.

35 students

Economy 02

LUO RONGCHAN

LUO RONGCHAN

The first BICM Car Rally passed through Dhaka, Silchar (Assam), Imphal (Manipur), Mandalay and Ruili (Yunnan), and highlighted connectivity in this sub-region.

Indian representatives are interested in Yunnan's experience in developing plateau featured agriculture. Photo by Zhou Can

ZHANG RUOGU

India and China are two of the world’s great ancient

civilizations, and divided only by the Himalayas. Over thousands of years, the two countries have created di-verse and splendid cultures. The towering and mean-dering mountains and the endless dessert of West Asia cannot stop people of the two countries from admiring each other’s splendid culture. Instead, two civilizations have deep influence in each other’s culture.

I n a n c i e n t t i m e s , culture used to be means of communication between the two civilizations. Chinese Buddhist masters Fa Xian, Xuan Z ang and Yi Jing came to India across the desert, and recorded their experience in books. These t om e s h av e b e e n w e l l -p r e s e r v e d a n d b e c o m e i m p o r t a n t r e f e r e n c e s for the s tudy of Indian history in China. Traces of Chinese folklore can be found in many traditional

I n d i a n s t o r i e s w h i l e Indian Buddhism has also become an integral part of the spiritual world of the Chinese p eople . To day, culture is st i l l a driving f o r c e f o r c o o p e r a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e t w o countries. For Liu Dawei, s o m e t i m e s i n a d e q u a t e m u t u a l u n d e r s t a n d i n g between China and India is attributed to the lack of books about both sides.

As early as in 1980s, the YPPH has started publishing books on the arts of India. In recent years, the company has published a great number of books on India. The New Cambridge History of India is a must-read classic about the country for scholars who want to know more about India, however, it does not have Chinese version at then. In 2010, YPPH started to cooperate with University o f C a m br i d g e P re s s i n publishing a Chinese version o f t h e c l a s s i c . Fo r t h e translation work, a number of scholars with in-depth

understanding of Indian history participated in it. After years of effort, all 23 tomes have been translated, and eight of them have so far been published. From the Deccan Plateau to the Mughal Empire, the epic history of India presented to Chinese readers as a window to know more about India. These books immediately become the must have reference books for Chinese scholars who do research on India.

Now a d ay s , Y PPH i s planning a new series of books about India. The series include the f ive-volume Gandhi Anthology covering the most important works of Mahatma Gandhi. Also the Tan Yunshan Anthology, a compilation of the works Tan wrote to introduce Chinese philosophy to India. It also includes his study on the traditions and modern relations of the two countries compiled during his stay in India at the invitation of Rabindranath Tagore.

A m o n g a l l s u c h publications, the planned

publication of the Indian literature series is the most p r o u d w o r k b y Y P P H . YPPH is going to bring back at least 50 books printing right from Indian National Academy of Letters are so far on their agenda. Currently, six are under translating, while the compendiums Contemporary India Short Stories, Hindi Short Stories and Contemporary Indian Short Stories in English will be published soon.“India abounds with great literary works. However, we know little about contemporary Indian literature besides Rabindranath Tagore;”said Liu Dawei.“This series will help readers bridge that gap.”

“The publishing industry should be more forward-looking instead of being dominated by sales numbers. We believe that we are doing something meaningful,” Liu added.“It is my hope that these books will be a messenger of mutual understanding b e t we e n ou r t wo g re at civilizations.”

Books: a messenger between India and China

Yoga becomes popular in Yunnan

Educational cooperation deepened

At Yunnan Minzu Uni-versity, a group of young

people dressed in white are practicing yoga while fol-lowing an Indian teacher. They meditate to adjust their breath and flex their bodies to seek harmony between mind and nature.

This is a yoga class at the China-India Yoga Institute. In June 2015, India’s first overseas yoga institute was established at Yunnan Minzu University.

“The Indian government will send two profession-al yoga teachers to China every year, according to an agreement signed with the India Council on Cultural Relations,” said Fang Zhen, executive director of the China-India Yoga Institute. In November 2015, the insti-tute enrolled its first group

of students. “Some of them are from neighboring prov-inces, and some come from the northwest and northeast regions of China to learn yoga,” he says. At present, more than 4,000 students have received training.

T h e c l i m a t e a n d environment in Kunming go we l l w i t h t h e sp i r i t o f y o g a . A f t e r t h e China (Kunming)-India Internat iona l Yoga Day and the China-India Yoga Conference were held in Kunming, yoga b ecame more well-known amongst locals. Now more and more people get interested in yoga, a growing number of C h i n e s e e nt hu s i a s t s and Indian professionals have gathered in Kunming, making the city a hot place for Indian yoga.

ZHANG RUOGU

In d i a I n t e r n a t i o n a l University, located on the

outskirts of Kolkata, was founded by Indian laureate Rabindranath Tagore. In the 1930s, invited by Tagore, the Chinese famous scholar Tan Yunshan established the Chinese Institute there.

S ince 2010 , Yunnan University has been working on recruiting Chinese teachers for India Inter nat iona l University , thus solving the shortage of Chinese teachers

and improving Chinese language teaching courses as well as help doing ancient b o ok s c at a l o g u i ng an d repairing work .

At p r e s e n t , a l m o s t a l l m aj o r c o l l e g e s a n d universities in Yunnan have established ties with Indian c ou nte r p ar t s . Profe s s or Cao Chenrui, head of the Hindi Language Research S e c t i o n , S o u t h A s i a n Languages Department of Yunnan Minzu University, i s proud that a l l of her

s t u d e n t s h a v e got jobs after graduation. “Yunnan Minzu University is the first college in southwest China to have a Hindi language teaching program. We are also China’s first college to reach a cooperation agreement with India universities in line with the 3+1 education program,” said Cao. Hindi majors spend three academic years in China and one year at the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) in Gujarat. “Most

students, after graduation, were sent to work in India by their employers,” said Cao.

Additionally, clinical m e d i c i n e p r o g r a m s a t Kunming Medical University and Dali University have been recruiting students from India. Their English-teaching courses are well-re ce ive d among Indian s t u d e n t s . M a n y o t h e r universities and colleges have also started joint research p r o g r a m s w i t h I n d i a partners.

Cultural exchanges are the foundation of the 2000-year history

between China and India. Deeper

cooperation is possible only upon sufficient cultural contact and

mutual understanding.— Liu Dawei, President

of Yunnan People’s Publishing House

(YPPH).

Overseas students who studied in Yunnan volunteered in the 4th China-South Asia Expo. Photo by Sun Xiaoyun.

Mr. Yugosh as a yoga trainer teach his students in Yunnan. Photo by Huang Zhechun

Students in Yunnan Minzu University practise yoga with their coach. Photo by Huang Zhechun

The introduction of body structure in Indian culture.

Gandhi Corpus by YPPH.

Tan Yunshan Corpus by YPPH.

Dear readers,

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Prof. Malliya Palanichamy’s

memory of Yunnan

ZHANG RUOGU“Mitochondrial DNA can

only be passed on to the next generation via the mother, and is very stable. By studying it, we can learn the history of population genetics.” After class, Professor Malliya Palan-ichamy explained to us what his job is all about vividly.

With an iconic mustache and a shy smile, Prof. Malliya Palanichamy is always dressed in shirts and sneakers. He worked for ten years at the Bi-ological Resources Protection Laboratory at Yunnan Univer-sity.

Prof . Mal l iya a lways commuted to work by bike. At 11pm every night, right before the bike park was about to close, he would

rush in punctually. As a pro-fessor and academic leader of the department, Prof. Malliya made a number of original breakthroughs in his research on population genetic history based on mitochondrial DNA genetic markers.

This research established his academic status world-wide and elevated Yunnan’s research reputation in a new level. So far, he has published many papers in international academic journals, including Science.

Prof. Malliya loves his life in Kunming. He used to say that compared with the scorching sunny days back in south India, the climate of Kunming is fantastic.

ProfileProfessor Malliya Palanichamy had taught in Yunnan University since 2006.He has achieved a number of original breakthroughs in his research on population genetic history based on mitochondrial DNA genetic markers.

Intercultural exchanges

strengthened

LIU ZIYU

At the invitation of the C h i n e s e C o n s u l a t e

General in Kolkata, a grand theatrical performance or-ganized by Yunnan’s Chinese Culture Promotion Society was staged in Kolkata on Au-gust 16. An audience of more than 1,000 people, including locals from all walks of life, as well as overseas Chinese, watched the show. Lok Sabha MP Mr. Sugata Bose, Chinese Consul General to Kolkata Mr. Ma Zhanwu, as well as Consuls General from Russia, Germany and Thailand were also present. The charm of Chinese art, coupled with the distinctive ethnic culture of Yunnan, impressed everyone present.

Mr. Bose said that India and China enjoy a long time friendship, West Bengal wish-es to deepen its relations with China, especially Yunnan province. Mr. Ma said that the show aimed to increase Indian people’s understand-ing of Chinese culture, while strengthening friendship and exchanges between both countries. Yunnan and West Bengal are geographically close and enjoy direct flight connections. Yunnan,which plays a critical role in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the BCIM economic corridor development and the K2K mechanism -- also wishes to continue to further its ties with India.

Based on such geographic proximity, West Bengal and Yunnan have seen frequent cultural and people-to-people exchanges. In 2007, direct flights between Kolkata and Kunming first opened, further

narrowing the distance be-tween east India and Yunnan. In 2013,Kolkata and Kunming became sister cities, marking a new cornerstone of India-Chi-na diplomatic relations. The relationship also brought new opportunities for bilateral trade and economic and cul-tural exchanges. “Kunming Week” activities taking place concurrent to the eleventh K2K meeting last November showcased Yunnan’s ethnic cultures to Indian viewers, attracting a great number of local visitors. With increas-ingly frequent interaction, the younger generations of the two countries have gradually grown in to new forces for bi-lateral cultural exchanges. Last May, the first China (Yunnan) - India Film Culture Week was held in Kunming made young college students from the two countries became better-acquainted with each others’ cultures.

After the show in Kolkata, young performers also visit-ed some Indian schools and had friendly exchanges with teachers and students there.

D ian Opera , Long l i ve Ch ina - Ind ia re la t i onsh ips , was organized to per form in Kolkata on August 16.Photo by Chen Fei

YUNNAN DAILY PRESS GROUPYUNNAN03 CULTURE SATURDAY OCTOBER 15, 2016

Further information

A c c o r d i n g t o n e w s from the Yunnan Provincial Department of Finance, there has been a great effort to strengthen educational cooperation between Yunnan Province and other countries.

From 2011 to 2015, the

provincial department of finance has arranged special funds totaling 175,650,000 RMB to promote higher education development, which supported the work of foreign cooperation and exchanges.

The friendship

between India and

China date back

to ancient times, I

hope the bilateral

cooperation could

be further deepened.

—Lok Sabha MP Mr.

Sugata Bose

Tourism takes the lead in India-Yunnan cooperation

ZHU HAI “West Bengal boasts

rich tourism resources, with a number of places of fan-tastic natural and cultural interest. These include the tea plantations of Darjeeling, the world’s largest mangrove forest in Sundarban and the old town of Kolkata,” said Zhu Bowei, president of the Kunming Travel Agency As-sociation. He made the re-marks after paying a ten-day visit to West Bengal with 14 colleagues during the 2016 China Tourism Year activi-ties.

Two months later, 32 Indian businessmen paid a f ive-day visit to Kun-ming , Da l i and L i j iang in Yunnan. “In Dali, our Chinese tour guide told me that we were the biggest Indian delegation he had ever seen. I told him that there would be even bigger groups in the future,” said Mr. Vijay K. Gupta, head of the Indian delegation and chairman of the India Travel Agents Association. He also said that previously he had only visited big cit-ies like Beijing and Shang-hai. However, this t ime he found Yunnan a much better tourist destination. “I was so impressed by the natural beauty and unique ethnic cultures there that I didn’t even want to go back home,” he said.

These two stories show huge potential in tourism cooperation between India and Yunnan.

B u i l t o n t h e success of the China-I n d i a To u r i s m Year events, the two countries have opened a ne w chapte r in bi latera l relations.

I n 2 0 1 5 , Y u n n a n accommodated 57,194 Indian visitors, up 2.2 percent from 2014. The figure for the first half of 2016 reached 17,000. Industry insiders generally believe that India and Yunnan have broad prospects for becoming larger mutual sources of tourists given their geographic proximity, complementary advantages, considerable existing tourist flow and relatively low price levels.

In 2008 , t he Ind ian Travel Agents Association s i g n e d a t o u r i s m co op erat ion agreement with the Yunnan Provincial Tourism Bureau in Kolkata. Over the next seven years, the two sides explored a path of mutual development.

On June 11, 2015, the two sides furthered their partnership at the inaugural China-India Economic, Trade and Tourism Cooperation Forum held in Kunming, Yunnan. Six months later, India participated in the 2015 China International Tourism Fair as a guest of honor. At the fair, Indian Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said that as the number of Chinese tourists in India continues to grow, the Indian government has introduced an e-visa application for C h i n e s e n a t i o n a l s . A multilingual tourist service hotline and Chinese-speaking

guide training were also underway.

While attending the Fourth China-South Asia Expo Cross-Border

Tourism Cooperation Forum, reporter

l e a r n e d t h a t

Yu n n a n h a s i m p r o v e d cross-border transportation infrastructure and passenger services. Currently, tourists can take direct flights from Kunming to New Delhi and Kolkata, and according to China Eastern Airlines, a direct flight between Kunming and Mumbai will also open soon.

At present, Yunnan has added its tourism and cultural sectors to a list of eight key industries. Li Jiheng, former Party Secretary of the Yunnan Provincial CPC Committee, has stated the province’s goal of establishing a new tourism dynamism enabling the sharing of tourist sources within the BCIM region.

Party Secretary of the Yunnan Provincial CPC Committee, Chen Hao has also mentioned that tour i sm wi l l s er ve as a bridge of friendship and cooperation between civilizations and cultures.

Although there are only a limited number of Indian tourists visiting Yunnan, the future potential remains huge.

Insiders point out that if West Bengal and Yunnan take the lead in promoting tourism cooperation as a prelude to new economic partnerships, there will be greater prospects for regional economies and related industries. When ‘Incredible India’ meet with ‘Colorful Yunnan’, no one can tell what future opportunities will appear.

Yunnan through

Indian eyes

World Heritage sites in Yunnan

The natural landscape of “Three Parallel Rivers” is located in north-west-ern Yunnan Province. it covers an area of 41,000 square kilometres and was in-scribed on the World Natural Heritage List in July 2003. The “Three Parallel Rivers” refer to the Jinsha, the Lancang and the Nujiang rivers, all of which originate on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The three rivers run from north to

south for over 170 kilometres in Yun-nan, forming the geographical wonder. The snow-capped peaks, glaciers, for-ests, prairies and fresh water lakes make up the unique scenery here. This area is home to more than 20 percent of the higher plants and 25 percent of all ani-mal species found in China, so it is also known as “the world’s biological gene bank.”

The Stone Forest is located in Shi l in C ounty, Yunnan. In June 2007 , t he s i te s of “S out h China Karst” in Shilin County, Yunnan, Libo County, Guizhou and Wulong County, Chongqing were jointly in-scribed on the World Heritage List under natural criteria. The Stone Forest covers an area of 350 square

kilometres. Within an elevation dif-ference of less than 500 metres, it contains scattered stone buds, peak clusters , karst hi l ls , karst caves , solution lakes, waterfalls, subter-ranean rivers and other karst land-forms. Due to these features, the Stone Forest is also known as the World Karst Museum.

The Chengjiang Fossil Site is situat-ed in the Maotian Mountain in Cheng-jiang County, Yuxi City, Yunnan Prov-ince. In July 2012, it became the only fossil site in China to be inscribed on the World Heritage List under the nat-ural criteria. The Chengjiang zoolites, dating back 530 million years ago, are the most concentrated, best preserved and most diverse Early Cambrian fossil ruins that have ever been discovered on earth. Its discovery in 1984 solved the mystery of the Cambrian Explosion and located the roots of the tree of life, so it was hailed by the scientific community as “the most amazing discovery of the twentieth century.”

The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces

In recent years, more and more Indians have shown their interests in travelling to Yunnan. With the success of the China-India Tourism Year events and many other cross cultural activities, many Indians have visited Yunnan and discovered its charm.There are some opinions from their eyes.

This is my first visit to Yunnan, and the frontier city of Ruili, on the China-Myanmar border, It surprised me a lot. The food there tastes quite similar to that of east India. In Ruili, we danced with Jingpo minority dancers and spent a long time at the

Golden Pagoda, the Jadeite Museum and the jewelry market. The experience was rich in culture and took us away from the strife of city life. It would be a perfect place to shoot Bollywood movies. Nobody will regret traveling in Yunnan.

Yunnan is one of the biggest tourism province in China, it has different ethnic cultures and natural vistas which shares the same char-acteristics with northeast India. Personally, I think we

can open a new travel route along the BCIM Economic Corridor to showcase ethnic and cultural diversity, and to promote trade of goods along the route, such as tea and silk.

Yunnan attaches impor-tance not only to economic development, but also to the ecological pres er va-t i o n a n d d e v e l o p m e n t of ethnic c u l t u re s . T h e

wet lands in Tengchong r e a l l y i m p r e s s e d m e . Tourism has been so well i n c or p or ate d i nto e c o -logical preservation and development.

I ’ve b een to Guang-zhou and Shenzhen before. The speed of development there is impressive. But I like Kunming better. The climate and landscape here are very good, and perfect for yoga. I also love the

food here. There are many choices of vegetables, and many ways to co ok the same vegetable too. I ’m really into Yunnan food. It’s far away from my home, but everything is similar.

(By Wang Jing)

Yunnan i s fantast ic . The climate is good, and the people are very friend-ly. I was completely aston-ished. I visited to a village in Dehong which sits right on the China-Myanmar

border. There, vi l lagers from the two countries live in harmony. It was incred-ible to me. I was curious how they can get along so well in spite of the language barrier.

2013

YANG YAN, HAN CHENGYUAN

The Old Townof Lijiang

Lijiang Old Town, located in Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in December 1997. Lijiang Old Town was founded in the late Song Dynasty and the early Yuan Dynasty (the late 13th century). It is at an elevation of 2,400 meters and covers an area of 3.8 square kilometres. It is designated as one of China’s Na-tional Famous Historical and Cultural Cities. Its buildings blend the cultural elements of Han, Bai, Yi and Tibetan nationalities while reflecting the unique style of the Naxi ethic group, so they are of great significance for the study of China’s architectural and cultural history. It keeps an ancient water supply system of great complexity and ingenuity, which is still in practical use.1997 The Chengjiang

Fossil Site

The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces in Yunnan’s Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture were in-scribed on the World Heritage List under the cultural criteria in June 2013. They extend to Yuanyang, Honghe, Lüchun and Jinping Coun-ties along the south bank of the Honghe River, climbing over 2,000

meters from the foot of the moun-tains to their peak. The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces have been culti-vated for more than 1,300 years and they are still in use and still being developed. In this area, the ancient farming civi l izat ion is wel l-pre-served, and man and nature live in harmony.

2012

Rinku Ghosh, Associate Editor of The Pioneer :

Avdhesh Kumar Srivastava, Executive Chief Editor of Navodaya Times:

Subbu, yoga teacher of China-India Yoga Institute, Yunnan Minzu University:

Subir Bhowmik, senior fellow of Center for Studies in International Relations and Development (CSIRD):

Ashutosh Kumar, journalist of Daily News and Analysis:

The natural wonder of “Three Parallel Rivers”2003 The Stone Forest2007

Tourist Arrivals from India toYunnan70000

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

60000

50000

40000

30000

20000

10000

0

57194

55975

25132

The statistics from Yunnan Provincial Tourism Development Commission show the arrivals from India to Yunnan between the year 2005-2015.

Make in India logo appeared during the 4th China-South Asia Expo from June 12 to June 16.

YUNNAN DAILY PRESS GROUPYUNNAN

SATURDAY OCTOBER 15, 2016 TRAVEL 04