Before he makes his maiden State visit to Beijing in May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Chinese tourists to explore India and experience the legacy of its ancient civilisation.
launching ‘Visit India 2015’ campaign in China through a video conferencing, Modi underlined that India and China both have the legacy of great ancient civilisations, hence, they have had “some bond of relationship” for thousands of years.
Inviting Chinese to India, Modi suggested them to take the Buddhist pilgrimage circuit — Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Nalanda, Kushinagar etc. He even promoted wellness tourism asking people to experience Yoga on the shores of river Ganga. “Come and experience Incredible India’s incredible hospitality,” Modi said.
Modi said the two nations are bound by an “unbreakable bond” which is why it was imperative that the two countries know and understand each other better. He added when the two countries come together, people will travel to and fro in large numbers.
“Our ancient civilisations have given a lot to the world. Coming centuries will belong to Asia. Hence, in this century, once again we have to give something, tell something to the world. For this, it is important that we explore each other, know and understand each other,” he said while promoting people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
Modi recollected his personal connection with China saying he hails from a village in Gujarat’s Vadnagar which famous Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang had once visited and stayed for some time. He mentioned that when he learnt that Hiuen Tsang also went to Xian in China, which is the capital of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s home province Shaanxi, Modi felt even more happy. “I think it is a special signal… These things are not just history but reflect a special bond,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister said while President Xi Jinping visited India last year, he will be visiting China this year. It is speculated that during Modi’s China visit, President Xi is expected to take him to Xian to recreate the bonhomie generated by Modi who had taken the Chinese President to Ahmedabad.
Modi said he had been to China on previous occasions and his experience had been very good. “I had read a lot of books about China but my experience was unique”.