Bangladesh’s umbilical ties with China

Curiously enough, there were Chinese travellers over the centuries to chronicle these mutual developments. They came to ancient Bangladesh too

Very few peoples and regions in the world can boast of historical ties as between the people of China and those who inhabited the present Bangladesh. History records that these ties go back almost 2400 years. From ancient times, three Silk Roads connected China and the Indian sub continent. The first was the Northern Silk Road. It connected the central region of China, passed through India and on to Europe. The second was the southern Silk Road. It operated since 4th century B.C. immediately before the Chinese Qin dynasty. The last was the Maritime Silk Road which operated in the oceans to the south of China and India. The Chinese people in ancient times travelled the maritime route to reach India too.

But it was the Southern Silk Road which connected China with present day Bangladesh. 
It was first mentioned on the occasion of Zhang Qians visit to Bactria (North Afghanistan) by a Chinese historian of western Han dynasty. Thus the southern Silk Road connected China with present day Bangladesh via Myanmar. It was mainly used in the ancient time by people who lived along the borders of China, Myanmar and present Bangladesh. The Southern Silk Route was China’s main access to India. This road which passed through the mountains of south China reached ‘Pundravardhana’ - a kingdom along the banks of Bahmaputra River. According to the geography book written in the Tang dynasty (and edited around 1044) it is understood to be located near present day Rangpur or Pabna in Bangladesh. This southern Silk Road helped the people to develop cultural and business connections among the people of China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and India.
It is curious to note what was transported and traded through this crucial route. It is known that parts of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces produced silk. This product was liked by the princes and dignitaries in Bengal and India. Ancient Persia also consumed silk items. Later tea and Chinese sesame came through to various part of this region. The Chinese were experienced in producing ironware. They smelted iron into such products and sent through to Bengal. It was sent to other parts of India, Iran and even was sent to ancient Rome. But remember, Chinese products were not a one way flow. From Bengal and other parts of India went sugarcane, eggplans and other agricultural items to Yunnan and Sichuan in China. Rice was another major product traded between the two regions.
Ethnic people also walked along the Southern Silk Route in China. They came and mainly settled in parts on what is now Bangladesh. Thus in Chittagong Hill tracts, India north east states tribal people emigrated 
from Chinese region to settle in these places.
But what was most striking was the movement of Buddhism from parts of Northern India like Bihar and parts of Bengal to China. With the religion went the knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, and sculptures to China. Slowly and grad¬ually Buddhism replaced traditional practices in China. A rich tapestry of Chinese culture and philosophy mixed with Buddhism and become the Chinese way of life in later centuries. It is said that even the practice of self defense without arms was tried by Buddhist priests who went from India to China as they were not allowed in ancient China to use arms to protect themselves. So they became adept in self defense. From there, the Chinese people picked up the style and techniques, improved upon them not only for sports but self defend. So the southern Silk Road was an ethnic and reli¬gious passage for these two populations.
Curiously enough, there were Chinese travellers over the centuries to chronicle these mutual developments. They came to ancient Bangladesh too. They sat with our Buddhist sages, recorded their thoughts, religious practices, philosophies and opinions about the future. These travellers crossed mountain ranges, desolate terrain, endured extreme cold and heat to learn from them.
 One of the earliest Chinese travellers was fa Xian. He was a monk during the fourth century A.D. His Journey to this part of the world began from Changan in China. He was already 63 years old. He travelled over 20,000 kilometer s and visited many parts of India. He stayed in the territory of Bangladesh for 2 years. During his stay he visited 30 monasteries in Bangladesh. His main interest was to learn about Buddhism and to read Buddhist scriptures here. He took copious notes with the aim of translating them on his return to China. He also wanted to inform his people about Buddhist kingdoms here.
Interestingly Bangladesh was a part of what the Chinese called in those days ‘Western Heaven’. The next monk to travel to India and later to what is now territory of Bangladesh was Xuan Zang. He came to Magadha which was a well known kingdom in south Bihar. There was the famous Nalanda Buddhist monastery and where he studied under a famous priest Shila Bhadra for 5 years.  He was so impressed with his knowledge that after 5 years Xian Zang followed Shila Bhadra to the territory of what is now Bangladesh. During his travels inside Bangladesh he found the people very receptive to education and seekers of knowledge. He brought back to China 657 Buddhist classics from what was known as ‘The Western Heaven’. He then translated them to Chinese. In fact all these translations became a valuable contribution of Bengal to Chinese knowledge.
The next great Chinese traveller to India as well to the territory of present day Bangladesh was Yi Jing. He came here in 671 A.D. and for 30 years travelled in India. In this period he visited the territory of Bangladesh once. At the end he wrote travel books on the region and crafted a basic dictionary of Sanskrit for Chinese monks and mendicants who in¬tended to travel to this region.
Interestingly, from what is present day Bangladesh and indeed what is Dhaka district, a Bengali monk known as Atish Dipanker himself travelled to Tibet in China as early as 1038. He was invited by the king of the then Tibet. He walked to the borders of Tibet passing Nepal. He took Bengali Buddhist disciples with him and stayed in China for 17 years and died there. Atisha became a sacred monk in Buddhist history.
The chord of friendship and co-operation that bound these two people - Chinese and Bengalis 2400 years back has been inspiring. The visit of Chinese President H.E. Xi Jinping will indeed reinforce our mutual bonds further in new areas too.

Ashfaqur Rahman is a former Bangladesh ambassador to China

 

Bangladeshs umbilical ties with China

Curiously enough, there were Chinese travellers over the centuries to chronicle these mutual developments. They came to ancient Bangladesh too

Very few peoples and regions in the world can boast of historical ties as between the people of China and those who inhabited the present Bangladesh. History records that these ties go back almost 2400 years. From ancient times, three Silk Roads connected China and the Indian sub continent. The first was the Northern Silk Road. It connected the central region of China, passed through India and on to Europe. The second was the southern Silk Road. It operated since 4th century B.C. immediately before the Chinese Qin dynasty. The last was the Maritime Silk Road which operated in the oceans to the south of China and India. The Chinese people in ancient times travelled the maritime route to reach India too. But it was the Southern Silk Road which connected China with present day Bangladesh. It was first mentioned on the occasion of Zhang Qians visit to Bactria (North Afghanistan) by a Chinese historian of western Han dynasty. Thus the southern Silk Road connected China with present day Bangladesh via Myanmar. It was mainly used in the ancient time by people who lived along the borders of China, Myanmar and present Bangladesh. The Southern Silk Route was Chinas main access to India. This road which passed through the mountains of south China reached Pundravardhana - a kingdom along the banks of Bahmaputra River. According to the geography book written in the Tang dynasty (and edited around 1044) it is understood to be located near present day Rangpur or Pabna in Bangladesh. This southern Silk Road helped the people to develop cultural and business connections among the people of China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and India. It is curious to note what was transported and traded through this crucial route. It is known that parts of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces produced silk. This product was liked by the princes and dignitaries in Bengal and India. Ancient Persia also consumed silk items. Later tea and Chinese sesame came through to various part of this region. The Chinese were experienced in producing ironware. They smelted iron into such products and sent through to Bengal. It was sent to other parts of India, Iran and even was sent to ancient Rome. But remember, Chinese products were not a one way flow. From Bengal and other parts of India went sugarcane, eggplans and other agricultural items to Yunnan and Sichuan in China. Rice was another major product traded between the two regions. Ethnic people also walked along the Southern Silk Route in China. They came and mainly settled in parts on what is now Bangladesh. Thus in Chittagong Hill tracts, India north east states tribal people emigrated from Chinese region to settle in these places. But what was most striking was the movement of Buddhism from parts of Northern India like Bihar and parts of Bengal to China. With the religion went the knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, and sculptures to China. Slowly and gradually Buddhism replaced traditional practices in China. A rich tapestry of Chinese culture and philosophy mixed with Buddhism and become the Chinese way of life in later centuries. It is said that even the practice of self defense without arms was tried by Buddhist priests who went from India to China as they were not allowed in ancient China to use arms to protect themselves. So they became adept in self defense. From there, the Chinese people picked up the style and techniques, improved upon them not only for sports but self defend. So the southern Silk Road was an ethnic and religious passage for these two populations. Curiously enough, there were Chinese travellers over the centuries to chronicle these mutual developments. They came to ancient Bangladesh too. They sat with our Buddhist sages, recorded their thoughts, religious practices, philosophies and opinions about the future. These travellers crossed mountain ranges, desolate terrain, endured extreme cold and heat to learn from them. One of the earliest Chinese travellers was fa Xian. He was a monk during the fourth century A.D. His Journey to this part of the world began from Changan in China. He was already 63 years old. He travelled over 20,000 kilometer s and visited many parts of India. He stayed in the territory of Bangladesh for 2 years. During his stay he visited 30 monasteries in Bangladesh. His main interest was to learn about Buddhism and to read Buddhist scriptures here. He took copious notes with the aim of translating them on his return to China. He also wanted to inform his people about Buddhist kingdoms here. Interestingly Bangladesh was a part of what the Chinese called in those days Western Heaven. The next monk to travel to India and later to what is now territory of Bangladesh was Xuan Zang. He came to Magadha which was a well known kingdom in south Bihar. There was the famous Nalanda Buddhist monastery and where he studied under a famous priest Shila Bhadra for 5 years. He was so impressed with his knowledge that after 5 years Xian Zang followed Shila Bhadra to the territory of what is now Bangladesh. During his travels inside Bangladesh he found the people very receptive to education and seekers of knowledge. He brought back to China 657 Buddhist classics from what was known as The Western Heaven. He then translated them to Chinese. In fact all these translations became a valuable contribution of Bengal to Chinese knowledge. The next great Chinese traveller to India as well to the territory of present day Bangladesh was Yi Jing. He came here in 671 A.D. and for 30 years travelled in India. In this period he visited the territory of Bangladesh once. At the end he wrote travel books on the region and crafted a basic dictionary of Sanskrit for Chinese monks and mendicants who intended to travel to this region. Interestingly, from what is present day Bangladesh and indeed what is Dhaka district, a Bengali monk known as Atish Dipanker himself travelled to Tibet in China as early as 1038. He was invited by the king of the then Tibet. He walked to the borders of Tibet passing Nepal. He took Bengali Buddhist disciples with him and stayed in China for 17 years and died there. Atisha became a sacred monk in Buddhist history. The chord of friendship and co-operation that bound these two people - Chinese and Bengalis 2400 years back has been inspiring. The visit of Chinese President H.E. Xi Jinping will indeed reinforce our mutual bonds further in newareas too. Ashfaqur Rahman is a former Bangladesh ambassador to China