Over 300 Chinese fans of Zhang thronged the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) auditorium on Friday night to watch performances from young Chinese children as well as highly talented professionals who devoted their lives to practising and performing Indian classical dance forms in this country.
The audience included India’s Ambassador to China Pradeep Kumar Rawat and former Vice Minister of Finance of China and President of AIIB Jin Liqun who lustily cheered the meticulously performed dances to the classical Tamil and Hindi music.
Zhang Jun (1933-2012) has inspired generations of Chinese and Indians with her relentless passion to learn Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Odissi and make them popular in China.
She was diagnosed with cancer in 1996 and passed away in 2012, plunging her students and admirers in deep sorrow.
“She wanted to bring the beauty of the Indian dance to more people. I hope that she will continue to enjoy, on the other side of heaven, the joy and beauty that Indian dance has brought to her,” Zhang’s son Han Xiao Xia said while talking about her in a special documentary on life and times of his mother, which was screened at Friday’s show.
“I remember when I was young, my mother used to go to India, she went there several times over several years. Whenever she came back, the house would become lovely. The house was full of Indian music every day. From time to time, there were friends who would come to visit her,” he said.
“She has taught many outstanding students and she always hoped that her students would surpass her.
“Every day students came to learn the dance from morning to night, some of the primary school students,” Han said.
Photo credit-PTI; image source-The Hindu