"I don't know why, going to China is like returning to my hometown" "My heart stays here"

On September 18, 2014, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech entitled "Joining Hands to Pursue the Dream of National Rejuvenation" at the Indian World Affairs Committee. In the meantime, General Secretary Xi Jinping said that as soon as he set foot on Chinese soil, Tagore said: "I don't know what the reason is, going to China is like returning to my hometown." On leaving China, he said sadly: "My heart is here." ”

Tagore, full name Robindranath Tagore, is a famous Indian poet, writer, philosopher and social activist, and a great friend of the Chinese people. He became the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature for his poetry collection "Jitanjali" and is regarded as a world-renowned representative of oriental culture. Tagore is deeply attracted by Chinese culture, attaches great importance to the cultural exchanges and friendship between China and India, and has always had deep feelings for the Chinese people. Tagore was very sympathetic to the oppression and ill-fated fate of the Chinese people at that time, and expressed his firm support for the arduous struggle for national independence of the Chinese nation in various ways. He also personally opened a school that teaches Chinese and Chinese dialects and cultures to strengthen the cultural ties between the two ancient countries of China and India and to explore the shared cultural heritage of the two peoples in the long-term historical ties. Tagore visited China three times and had extensive contacts with people from all walks of life in China, opening up Sino-Indian cultural exchanges in the 20th century. The two famous quotes quoted by General Secretary Xi Jinping were left by Tagore during his first visit to China.

On April 12, 1924, at the invitation of the Chinese academic community, Tagore visited China for the first time. As soon as he set foot on Chinese soil, Tagore couldn't help but sigh, Chinese friends, I don't know what the reason is, going to China is like returning to my hometown. I've always felt that India and China are actually close relatives, and that our two countries are ancient and dear brothers. In May of the same year, Tagore set off for China, and when asked by his Chinese friends if he had left anything behind, Tagore replied, "My heart is here." Although a few words are short, they profoundly reveal Tagore's infinite yearning and strong friendship for China. Although these few words are short, they are often recalled by posterity and touched by their persistent pursuit and selfless dedication in the cause of Sino-Indian friendship.

From September 17 to 19, 2014, General Secretary Xi Jinping was invited to pay a state visit to India, met with many Indian leaders and participated in many activities, which became a milestone event in the history of the development of China-India relations. During this period, General Secretary Xi Jinping was invited to attend the activities of the World Affairs Committee and delivered an important speech, in which tagore's heartfelt words were directly quoted, which once again evoked the memory of Sino-Indian friendship after 90 years, which has a profound connotation and the significance of the times.

China and India are two ancient civilizations with a history of friendly exchanges with each other for thousands of years, two important neighbors who have joined hands to achieve national independence, two big developing countries that jointly advocate the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and two great nations committed to achieving the goal of making the country strong and the people rich. The peoples of China and India live side by side, and there have been exchanges and mutual learning in ancient times, recent friendships between hardships and commons, and the existing cause of common rejuvenation. The people of the two countries have always been the fundamental force for promoting the development of bilateral relations, and people-to-people friendship is an important foundation for friendship between the two countries. In his speech, General Secretary Xi Jinping quoted the scriptures and focused on the heartfelt words of former Indian friends, which not only reflected the long-standing humanistic ties and friendly exchanges between China and India, but also reflected China's true feelings and sincerity in developing China-India relations. Chinese people are willing to be friendly with the Indian people forever and help each other and walk hand in hand on the road to realizing the rejuvenation of their respective nations.

Since last year, due to multiple factors such as the new crown pneumonia epidemic and border events, Sino-Indian relations have fallen into a trough. Exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in the fields of economy, trade and investment, education, humanities, science and technology, and communications have been blocked, the indian nongovernmental public opinion environment toward China has deteriorated, and the development of Sino-Indian relations is facing difficulties and challenges. At present, on the basis of the profound foundation of thousands of years of friendly exchanges, China and India should continue to dig deep into the resources of Sino-Indian people-to-people friendship, give full play to the traditional advantages of China-India people-to-people exchanges, enhance the ability of the Chinese and Indian peoples to empathize, consolidate the public opinion foundation of China-India relations, push China-India relations back to the right track, and make greater contributions to the peaceful development of Asia and the world.