My China visit: a short, mesmerizing trip

On the glorious occasion marking the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the friendly people of China to mark this historic occasion. Undoubtedly, it's a time of enormous national pride and rejoicing for the Chinese nation and the whole world also.

My China story dates back to nearly 36 years ago when on one rain-soaked midsummer evening of 1985, I happened to pick up the Bengali broadcasts of China Radio International (CRI), then known as Radio Beijing. Since then, my long association with CRI and other Chinese media outlets has generated my strong interest in China. By reading news reports on the websites of Chinese media platforms every day, I have integrated myself into the Chinese culture and have been enjoying it, living far away from Beijing. I have been a promoter of Sino-India friendship for more than 36 years.

Impressed by my love and work for China and Chinese media, I, along with my wife and son, and two radio club members, was invited for a seven-day trip to China in 2016, thanks to the former Consul General in Kolkata, Ma Zhanwu. Needless to say, my seven days happy sojourn on the Chinese soil is always treasured exclusively in my heart of hearts forever.

On June 26, we disembarked at Kunming airport. Our trip was scheduled to Shilin Stone Forest, the Western Hills lying beside Dianchi Lake and the local markets. The reminiscence of Kunming would be incomplete without mentioning the delicacies that we gulped down like the Chinese proverb "to devour ravenously".

On June 28, we landed at Beijing's huge international airport. It was early morning, and a heavy downpour welcomed us. With ancient palaces, temples and parks, Beijing is a modern and cosmopolitan city. Whether it's the Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, or the Great Wall, everything is massive in the capital city. In Beijing, I enjoyed bargaining with shopkeepers even though it was difficult to converse with vendors in English. I found Chinese people honest, friendly and extremely hard working. Many places where we went, the amicable behavior of the Chinese people with endearing smiles made us realize the old Chinese saying "delighted to welcome friends from afar."

On our first day, we visited CRI, and the staff of the English and Hindi services greeted us with great warmth, making us feel at home. I had an exclusive meeting with CRI Editor-in-Chief Ma Bohui, in presence of other CRI dignitaries. He was moved by my love for CRI and China, appreciated my long association with the organization, and praised our blood donation campaigns for CRI. We exchanged our views about expanding CRI's broadcasting services in India. My interaction with CRI dignitaries left an everlasting memory which shall be remembered and cherished forever.

During our stay, I had the good fortune of visiting the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong where the embalmed body of Chairman Mao is preserved. I noticed that till date the Chinese people were in a long queue to pay their homage to this great leader. When we asked, they claimed that it was because of his contribution as Chairman, they live a better life, a better livelihood and the credit must go to him.

We also visited the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City, and enjoyed an enchanting boat ride on the massive Kunming Lake. At Forbidden City, I realized how much the Chinese value their history. We also visited the Bird's Nest Stadium and Water Cube. I had seen the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on TV at home. However, I had never imagined that one day I would see the stadium.

On July 1, we went to see the Mutianyu Great Wall of China. Quite frankly, it was a dream come true to visit the Great Wall. We reached the Great Wall by a cable car, and then climbed bravely to a few parapets and watchtowers. Standing tall atop the Great Wall cradled the embrace of strong winds, I feel a certain kind of adrenaline rushing through my veins. The views were worth all our physical effort. Coming down from the Great Wall, we enjoyed a Toboggan ride.

We only spent five days in Beijing, and I knew we had only scratched the surface on this great city. We were impressed to see the facilities that are available for tourists. Wherever we went, we found the restaurants were full of beautiful ladies helping us to have our choice of food.

The roads too were also clean, and the traffic well managed. We saw lots of residents ride electric bicycles and an adequate number of four wheelers. Chinese people do not smoke in restaurants and on public transport, and smokers do not drop cigarette butts on the streets. The toilets in Beijing are among the cleanest public toilets I've ever seen.

I saw most of the Chinese young girls and ladies enjoy life with their boyfriends, while returning from work. It is widely seen that young couples and lovers have adopted the Western-style of kissing openly on the streets, parks and crowded restaurants. It's really fantastic!

My visit to China was a short trip, but has sweet memories. When the China Eastern Airlines flight took off from the Beijing International Airport to India, I said that I had left a part of me in China. Preciously speaking, my visit to China is worth cherishing as I witnessed the vicissitudes of the Chinese society.

To conclude, I would like to say that we'll leave no stone unturned for promoting India-China friendship. I hope my relationship with China will be a long and informative one. May the cultural and people to people friendship between our two countries continue to thrive.

Happy 100th birthday to the CPC!

Rabi Sankar Bosu is founder and secretary of New Horizon Radio Listeners' Club, a Sino-India friendship club based in West Bengal, India. As a Sinophile, he has been promoting Chinese culture as well as the brands of Chinese media on the grassroots level in West Bengal since 1985. He is an Indian contributor to Chinese media outlets. He writes about Chinese politics, social and cultural issues, and China-India relations with a special interest in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.