On 30 August, 2025, the “China-India Civilization Exchange, Youth in Action” youth dialogue was successfully held to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of China-India diplomatic relations. This forum took place in Room 208 of the Democracy Building at Peking University. The forum was hosted by the School of Foreign Languages, Peking University and the China Media Group (CMG) Asian and African Languages Programming Center, with the Center for Indian Studies, Peking University as a co-organizer. Nearly one hundred participants were in attendance. The participants included professors, students, young scholars, and media professionals from organizations such as CMG, Peking University, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Communication University of China, Beijing International Studies University, National Development and Reform Commission, and China Pictorial Publishing House. In addition, representatives of Chinese and Indian youth from various sectors also attended. The forum was chaired by Zhu Jingjing, the deputy director of the Hindi Service of the CMG Asian and African Languages Programming Center, and by Akhil Parashar, a foreign expert.

At the beginning of the forum, Li Shujing, Party Secretary of the School of Foreign Languages of Peking University, and Zhang Hui, the deputy director of the CMG Asian and African Languages Programming Center, each delivered a speech. They reviewed the history and current state of cultural exchanges between China and India, and expressed heartfelt wishes for the future development of China-India friendship. Furthermore, it was emphasized that in the digital age, youth of China and India should assume the mission of carrying forward the civilization of their respective countries, achieving mutual inspiration and shared progress through civilizational dialogue and cultural exchange.

Li Shujing Delivering a Speech

Zhang Hui Delivering a Speech

During the English-language dialogue session, Dr. Huang Lele, a post-doctoral scholar in the Department of South Asian Studies at the School of Foreign Languages, Peking University, drew on her eleven years of study and research in India to urge young scholars to delve deeply into the rich connotations of cultural interaction in their work. Moreover, Sharma Ram Niranjan, a YouTube creator of Indian origin based in China, encouraged Chinese and Indian youth to use new media platforms in order to promote mutual understanding between the two peoples in a more vivid and concrete manner. In addition, Mao Keji, an assistant researcher at the International Cooperation Center (ICC) of the National Development and Reform Commission, delivered a presentation on the profound significance of cultural exchange between China and India from an academic perspective. Finally, Maitri Sharma, a foreign correspondent for the Eurasia Center of China Pictorial Publishing House, shared her reasons for choosing to live in China, calling on the youth of both nations to cherish the uniqueness of their respective cultures and the merits of mutual learning through cultural exchange in their academic studies and interpersonal interactions.

The English-Language Dialogue Session

During the midsession interactive activities, Zhang Xiao and Zhu Jingjing from the Hindi Service of the CMG Asian and African Languages Programming Center, delivered a stand-up comedy performance titled “Sisters’ Banter”, bringing the forum to a thrilling climax.

The Stand-up Comedy Performance

During the Hindi-language dialogue session, Chen Yutong, a graduate student of South Asia Studies at the School of Foreign Languages of Peking University, shared her experience of learning Hindi and made an appeal that as young people of the new generation in China and India, we should deepen mutual understanding and strengthen friendship by learning each other’s languages. Then, Wei Han, an Indian professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University, reflected on his profound connections with Chinese language and culture. Zhang Xiao, a Hindi host from the CMG Asian and African Languages Programming Center, sharing her five-year experience of running the personal social-media channel “MAIN HOON ANJALI”, urged young people to continue to build the bridge of friendship between China and India. Sandoshi, the proprietor of two Indian restaurants in Beijing, shared her personal experience of migrating from India to China and emphasized the importance of cultural exchange and the cultivation of international friendship.

The Hindi-Language Dialogue Session

The Group Photo of Participants Attending the Forum

Subsequently, a knowledge quiz on China and India was held, and the audience responded with great enthusiasm. The event concluded successfully.

This youth dialogue provided a valuable platform for amicable cultural exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and Indian youth. Participants expressed a desire for the continuation of such initiatives in the future to foster communication and cooperation among the youth of both nations, and thereby jointly contributing to the development of a new chapter in the history of civilizational exchange between China and India.

By Wang Xiqian, Tian Shiyu

All photos by Du Jiaqi, Fu Yuqi

Translated by Chen Ying