James Shikiye Swu (second from right), delivers a speech at Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming, Yunnan province, Oct 15, 2024. [Photo by Chen Liubing/chinadaily.com.cn]
Cultural exchanges and people-to-people communication are conducive to the development of bilateral relations, said a group of Indian musicians who experienced Chinese music and culture during their trip to the country.
At the invitation of the Consulate General of China in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, the six-member delegation of musicians have visited Southwest China's Yunnan province from Monday to Saturday.
Led by composer, conductor and music teacher James Shikiye Swu, the delegation included tribal singers, folk musicians and educators.
They began their trip in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. During their two-day visit there, the members of the delegation watched Chinese performances, met with teachers and students at Yunnan Minzu University, and took part in cultural exchanges with experts and scholars at the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences.
After watching Dynamic Yunnan, an original ethnic dance musical at the Yunnan Art Theater, Alobo Naga, an Indian singer and composer, said he was amazed by the performance.
"It's a very good experience, especially the culture. I could see lots of similarities (of our cultures). It's something unique, we feel that we are at home," Naga told China Daily in an exclusive interview, adding that it was his first visit to the Chinese mainland.
He also noted that India and China are and will always be neighbors.
"We have to be good to one another, and to be friends, because no matter what happens, we will be neighbors for a lifetime," Naga said.
He said the delegation has come to know more about China, and he hopes the cultural exchanges initiated in China will continue, so the friendship between the two countries will grow more.
It was delegation member Nise Meruno's third visit to Kunming, and the music instructor said that the purpose of India-China bilateral exchanges is not only to celebrate diversity, but also to celebrate unity and to make the world a peaceful place to live.
