In a first, a troupe of Chinese dancers perform a drama inspired by Ramayana

In a first, a troupe of Chinese dancers made history by performing a dance drama based on the Indian epic Ramayana on 25 January 2025 at Shunyi Grand Theater, Beijing.

The drama, named “Adi Kavya - The First Poem”, was directed by noted Chinese Bharatanatyam exponent Jin Shanshan. It was inspired by the Chinese translation of Ramayana by Prof Ji Xianlin.

The dance drama was staged ahead of Foreign Secretary-level talks on Sunday to discuss the normalisation of ties between the two countries. It was attended by several leaders, including Chinese Vice Minister Sun Haiyan from the International Department of the ruling Communist Party, Luo Zhaohuai and head of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) and Indian Ambassador to China, Pradeep Rawat and a host of Chinese and Indian officials.

Indian art and dance forms Bharatanatyam and Kathak, besides a host of musical instruments, have gained traction in China over the decades with several people devoting their lives to learning the classical art forms in India.