As I walked past the high red walls on the side of The Lama Temple (Yonghegong), I realised that I had walked there exactly seven years earlier, when my family visited me in China. Through a long academic journey, my interests and research had now taken me back to this same capital, this time to read the works of Sino-Indian thinkers at CASS, especially Xu Fancheng and Tan Yunshan.
Xu Fancheng was an artist and religious philosopher who, after studying in Germany and China, went to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in India in 1951. There, he wrote several essays and commentaries, while also practicing calligraphy and painting. The reason I had come to the CASS library in Beijing, after staying at the Aurobindo Ashram myself, was because Xu Fancheng went on to teach there when he returned to China. More famous for his paintings and calligraphy, people do not always realise that Xu Fancheng was also a translator and writer. Since he taught at CASS, their library still retains a significant collection of Sino-Indian material related to him, his work, and his students.
After I received permission to read this material, the two scholars and librarians, Ms. Liu Yifei and Mr. Gan Daming, went out of their way to help me find it. It was incredible how readily they could locate works related to the themes I write on. Besides finding relevant material, they truly made sure everything was taken care of that day and gave me the warmest welcome imaginable. When it became midday, they very kindly invited me for lunch, which they ordered for us. We chatted during lunch about experiences in China, as well as in the United Kingdom, and about how I came to study Sri Aurobindo and Sino-Indian thinkers through themes such as nonviolence. It was a memorable conversation, and their combined readiness and friendliness was infectious!
Since there was not sufficient time to go through all the material during my visit, Ms. Liu Yifei was so kind as to forward me the rest of the missing pieces later by email. She’s amazing.
I’ve attached some photos of us, as well as some of the works I found during my visit, and a drawing of mine. This fall I will be back in Beijing, and I look forward to meeting them again and continuing some of these conversations. During my time in Beijing this Fall, I will also make a visit to the biographer of Xu Fancheng, teacher Sun Bo. Thanks to teacher Fan Qinyong, I was able to arrange a visit, and am excited to ask him questions about his book and articles on Xu Fancheng.
– Floris