Chinese artist Yue Yu calls for India-China reconnect through civilisational bond

Time of India

24-07-2025

Renowned Chinese Buddhist painter and scholar
Yue Yu
, whose unique artwork was presented to
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi during his China visit in 2015, says India and China should rediscover their deep-rooted civilisational friendship.
Yue, director, chief artist and curator of Northwest University in China's Xian, the city synonymous with the ancient
Silk Road
, perceives China-India relations as a tree, which requires constant nurturing with water so that the relationship should be irrigated to keep it alive and growing.
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The relationship between the giant neighbours requires careful nurturing with their civilisational values in mind, he told PTI in an off-the-cuff interview at a roadside restaurant here.
Yue's informal interview comes amid the expectations of Modi's second visit to China to take part in the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
's (SCO) summit to be held in the Chinese city of Tianjin late next month.
Yue, who has never met Modi, says he developed respect and admiration for the Indian leader, especially for his devotion to his mother and his dignified style of dress and demeanour.
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"When I saw Modi washing his mother's feet, I was genuinely moved. That gesture spoke volumes about his character and values - it reminded me of our own
cultural roots
," he says.
Modi washed his mother's feet despite being the leader of a nation, which shows that he is a good human being, Yue says.
When Modi made his first visit as Prime Minister to China in 2015 amid euphoria of a thaw in the frosty Sino-India ties, Yue had a challenging task.
Yue was asked to create an enduring painting, symbolising centuries of
India-China relations
, to be presented to PM Modi.
Yue, 72, who is specialised in
Buddhist art
, conceived a striking theme: a bust of Buddha from the era of China's only woman emperor, Wu Zetian, who ruled around 690 CE, embossed on a sacred Bodhi leaf symbolising Chinese Buddhism origins in India with a golden background.
The painting won him accolades from China and India, besides Modi himself.
Besides the powerful visual effect, the painting from Yue's point of view carried a powerful one-line message: "water the friendship between India and China with Oriental wisdom."
Also, his choice of theme and effects was intentional, meant to give the artwork a sense of permanence.
"The painting to be presented to the Prime Minister should endure forever, untouched by the ups and downs of
India-China
relations," Yue says in the off-the-cuff interview at a roadside restaurant here, reflecting on the art piece he created a decade ago, with a sense of pride.
He chose to mention Oriental Wisdom because "we, the eastern people, are the most intelligent and all the important religions originated from the east".
His painting was presented to Modi by the Abbot of the historic Buddhist temple in Xi'an when the Prime Minister visited the temple to offer prayers.
The two neighbours with immense ancient civilisational wisdom should rediscover the deep friendship rooted in their ancient ties, says Yue.
He says it is time for the two countries to recall the essence of Southern Buddhism, which came to China from India, and adds, "Whosever you meet, you have to respect that person".
"This will help the relations between China and India. We have to lower ourselves first and respect each other first so that we can understand each other," he adds.
"Wherever you go, you must be modest and polite, " he said, quoting a Chinese idiom.
"We are neighbours. If we are both modest, polite and peaceful to each other, then of course we will be friends. Be if we are nit-picking we will have a lot of conflict," he adds.
When asked what role Buddhism can play to bring the two countries closer, he said, "I am just a painter, not someone who can comment on such a critical issue."
He recalled how Chinese scholars Xuanzang and Faxian were treated with respect and dignity in India.
"The key to the relationship is mutual respect," Yue said.
The Chinese monks who visited India brought several Buddhist scriptures. "That kind of mutual respect at that time made the two counties have a good relationship. If we can bring that spirit, we can have good relations," Yue said.
The way out for enduring normalisation, Yue believes, is perhaps for the two countries to deepen mutual respect and rediscover the trail of age-old friendship left by Buddhist monks and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore during his first visit to China in 1924, which left a lasting impression on the Chinese.