Relation between China and India is the hottest subject of discussion in current political and diplomatic scenario. Many users of social media are keen to stop buying Chinese consumer products although most of them are not aware how to detect that.For their academic interest I would like to extend some help to those pundits. All countries have been awarded separate code numbers to printed prefix of their individual product code to enable consumer to ascertain correctly in which country the very item is produced.Such as items made in India bears prefix of manufacturing code is 890. Similarly for items of USA and Canada are 00 and 09 respectively. Some more are like this : UK 50 , France 37, Germany 44 , Japan 49 and so on.Do you know the code for China ? Remember it is 690, 691 and 692.
Our country has relation with China dates back to 8th century when Huen-t -sang came to our country to obtain wisdom of great Nalanda University. Again during 18th century people from China started migrating to India. It is said that one man named A-t-Su navigated from south China and his ship confronted tempest in sea and subsequently wrecked in a place near to Budge Budge of present West Bengal. He along with his other members landed in this unknown land with pack of good quality Chinese tea leaves with them. They had no other choice but settle here. A-t-Su presented a pack of tea leaves to Warren Hastings, the than Governor of Bengal and in return received the order to stay at that area which subsequently named after him as A-t-Su pur and then Achhipur present. Next generation of those people slowly migrated to Calcutta slowly and Calcutta became a natural Indian colony cor Chinese people. Meanwhile, Calcutta became the most important port city of British India and flood gate cor Chinese national was opened and thousands and thousands of people started migrating at Calcutta. They came from different places of China expert with different professions. Most of them came from Canton province were good in woodwork & craftsmanship. Similarly all Chinese dentists came from Hupe and those who did not have any proper profession they came from Hakka and started hotel business and tanary. The word Hakka Chowmein came from those Hakkan.
Another group of people was brought by British as manual labourer who were sent to Assam to work in tea garden. Thus Chinese are settled in India from generation to generation.Fate of Chinese living in Assam was changed overnight by Nehruvian belief during 1962 war. They were wrongly imprisoned and sent to nail in different pars of India on the pretext that they may betray the country because of their origin which proved wrong later. We have numbers of citizens from Chinese origin still living in Assam Naharktia area and Tengra area of Calcutta.
Living closely with them from centuries how much do we know about their culture? They speak fluent Assamese and Bengali and aware of all major festivals of India
But do we know that ,
1) Chinese years are named after twelve animals and after one full circle it starts again with name of first animal. These animals are Monkey, Hen, Dog,rat, ox,snake, tiger, Rabbit,Dragon, Sheep, Horse and pig.
2) Chinese year evolves with new moon and it starts from day of new moon on February.
3) One new moon to another new moon is complete one month in Chinese calendar.
4) As per this new moon of 8th Chinese month falls their ' Moon Festival' They celebrate with much fun. They prepare cakes in their home and celebrate as commune.
5) They celebrate ' Dragon boat festival' on 5th day of 5th Chinese month.
6)and ' Lantern festival' falls on full moon night of 1st Chinese month.
Do we also know that
a) Chinese wear attire of jute while attending burial of any of them.
b) New would be bride will take bath on the day of marriage with seven tape of seven colours.
c) New would be bride will eat rice cooked in earlier night with half boiled egg.
d) on the day of dragon festival they put cooked rice and dal inside a pillow made of grass and puts the pillow on the water body of river to float.and
e) two daily newspapers in Chinese are published in Kolkata till today.
There are many more of them we do not know despite living together for couple of centuries. We should forget the enmity and try to come closer to each other and try to live as friendly neighbours.
