Profile of Tan Yun-shan Sino-Indian Friendship Museum

 

 Mr.Tan Yun-shan, Founder-Director of Visva-Bharati Cheena-Bhavana(at Santiniketan,India),was the great cultural emissary between China and India. He had dedicated his entire life to Sino-Indian amity,and is worthy of the title of “Modern Xuan Zang”.His dedication to Sino-Indian friendship had the blessings and support from famous Indian leaders like Mahatma Gandhi,Rabindranath Tagore, Jawaharlal Nehru and many others as well as the mighty support of famous Chinese personage,Cai Yuanpei,Dai Jitao(Tai Chi-t’ao),Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Xu Beihong etc.During his sojourn in India for more than half a century(1928-1983),he was eyewitness to many important historical events,and his correspondence with eminent personalities of China and India is extremely valuable for the study of cultural interaction between the two countries in modern times. In March 2006,Prof.Tan Chung,the eldest son of Tan Yun-shan,donated the Tan Yun-shan documents to Shenzhen University. Preparatory work for the establishment of the Tan Yun-shan Sino-India Friendship Museum began in earnest in the same year. By the end of the Yun-shan Museum was finalized. Work on the building was completed in November and internal display can finish in a month’s time,ready for the formal inauguration of the Museum.
       Housed inside the Universtiy Library, the Tan Yun-shan Sino-Indian Friendship Museum can perform two functions. First,it is a memorial hall commemorating the life and deeds of Tan Yun-shan and all those who have contributed to Sino-Indian friendship, a depository of their handwritten manuscripts, writings and mementoes.Till now,what is housed in the Museum is mainly the document of Tan Yun-shan. However,the descendants of Dr.P.C.Bagchi have expressed their willingness to donate to Shenzhen University Dr.Bagchi’s manuscripts and belongings.We shall also contact the relatives of Xu Beihong and Dr.Kotnis to obtain their support. We have also six pieces of replicas of historical artifacts presented by the National Museum courtesy of Prof.G.K Chadha. We also have a set of the Tibetan translation of Tripitakas copied in golden ink during Taipei.These valuable material of the history of Sino-Indian cultural interaction will also be exhibited.The second function of Tan Yun-shan Museum will be as a special reading room open to the faculty and students of Shenzhen University and all visiting scholars from China and abroad as a facility for studying Indian culture,Sino-Indian cultural contacts, economic developments of China and India,Sino-Indian friendship and cooperation and other related topics.
      The establishment of the Tan Yun-shan Sino-Indian Friendship Museum is a milestone in the modern phase of the history of Sino-Indian cultural interaction, and an important mirror of Sino-Indian friendship.