[Event notice] A hundred-year retrospective: Development of India studies at Peking University and Sino-Indian cultural exchange

Exhibition until 31st Aug, 2024.

Ongoing exhibition at Peking University on 100 years of development of India studies

In our Himal Southasia article last February, we showed how the discourse on South Asian studies in China had evolved from the early Republican period to modern times. One of the core ideas was that Southasia discipline in China has evolved as the study of India and is still a largely “Indo-centric discipline” despite other country-specific research centers opening up various other universities in China in recent years

Read our Himal Southasia article titled “China’s long and stuttering history of studying Southasia” here.

This year, Peking University celebrated the 100th anniversary of establishing India Studies, being the first and oldest in China. China - India interaction for over last 100 years laid the foundation for overall South Asia studies in China. This point is reiterated in our article by Liwen, a current PhD student in Sanskrit at Tornoto University telling us that studying Hindi as a discipline is more contemporary i.e. study of society, politics, and international relations. Hence, Chinese scholars who study Southasia, shape their perception of the region largely through Hindi and Indian studies.  This exhibition is a splendid opportunity to look at the academic relationship between these two countries and pose an inquiry into broader South Asia studies in China.

Highly recommend to readers and viewers, those especially in Beijing to attend this exhibition inside the campus of Peking University. Some of the sample works in exhibition are here in this blog. The exhibition will run until Aug 31st, 2024.

You can find more information about the exhibition and location of the venue here.