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I was revising an article on the evening of March 9， 2004 when the telephone rang. I picked up the receiver and heard a woman’s sob from the other end.

Who was it weeping so grievously late in the evening?

“It’s me， Wei Chaoyun， Mr. Xu. My father Wei Fengjiang passed away on March 5 …”

My heart tightened. Holding the receiver in one hand， I could not utter a word for quite a while. Then， all of a sudden， tears gushed from my eyes， wetting the front of my jacket.

I.Establishing a Tagore Memorial

Wei Fengjiang， a professor of Visva Bharati University (International University) of India， and I were good friends despite great difference in age. In the spring of 1987， I went on a trip along the ancient route in Sichuan during the public holidays to study the origin of the word “china”. Later， my thesis was published in Chinese Culture Research. Wei read the thesis in the magazine and recommended it to his old friend Prof. Huang Xinchuan， then director of the Institute of Asian and Pacific Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. And that was how I got to know Wei.

Since then， correspondence had been kept between this elderly man and me， a young man. I only met him once for I was always tied up with one thing or another.

One May Day， a letter came from the old man， in which he wrote: “Shanghai and Hangzhou are close at hand. Because of my old age and having difficulty in getting about， I sincerely hope that you， my younger brother will come to Hangzhou during the May Day holiday so that we can have a drink together at my home.”

I did not hesitate and set out for Hangzhou the next day. In an ordinary building not far from the West Lake， I knocked at the door with the number 201. An elderly man， slight of stature with dark complexion， answered the door. His sunken eyes and high nose looked just like an Indian， I could tell that he was Mr. Wei Fengjiang.

“How do you do， Venerable Wei，” said I shaking his hand. The old man nodded in reply， beaming with joy. He led me into the room. He told me that this apartment was allotted to him under the personal concern of General Secretary Hu Yaobang who instructed the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China to solve the problem. I looked around. It was a 3-room apartment with a total floor space of over 80 square metres: the two rooms in the front， one being the Rabindranath Tagore Memorial and the other the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial; the third and the smallest was his bedroom. Photos of high-profile Indian personages， most of which were taken in the 1930s， were hung in the two memorials. They showed a series of historical scenes， telling the visitors moving stories.

I followed the old man into the Tagore Memorial. A horizontal scroll on which the words “friendship over half a century” were written with brush caught my eyes. This was a gift he received in April 1987 from the teachers and students of Visva Bharati University of India. The photos of the great poet Tagore wearing long silvery beard and the bareback and barefooted Mahatma Gandhi together with the young student Wei Fengjiang called forth in me a feeling of profound respect. In the glass cabinet by the window was placed a bronze-coloured bust of Tagore， presented to him by the Indian Ambassador to China on behalf of the Indian government and people in recognition of his contributions to promoting Sino-Indian cultural exchanges over half a century.

II.Tagore’s Cherished Chinese Student

Wei Fengjiang attended Shanghai Lida School in his early years. In autumn 1933， with the recommendation and approval of Cai Yuanpei， executive president of the Sino-Indian Cultural Society， the 22-year-old Wei Fengjiang went alone to India to study Indian languages， history and literature at Visva Bharati founded by Tagore. Tagore who was over 70 then drove a horse-drawn cart himself to Santiniketan Station to meet Wei， the only Chinese student. He patted Wei on the back and said amiably: “You are the first swallow from China. Welcome to make your nest here.”

Wei Fengjiang was born into a rich family in Shaoxing， Zhejiang Province. He took a lot of valuable photos with the made-in-Germany camera he had brought to India from home: Tagore with long silvery beard reciting poems under the morning sunrays passing between the tree branches in the woods， the bare head， barefoot and barebacked Gandhi sitting cross-legged on a straw mat at a low table writing， the fair-skinned Indira with sparkling eyes dancing… Having gone through half a century， these photos have now turned yellow and become fragile， but they have become precious historic relics of the Indian people.

Because Wei Fengjiang was the only student from China， Tagore showed special care for him. Every time he went out to give a lecture， he would always take Wei Fengjiang with him and asked him to take notes of his speeches. The students of Visva Bharati at Santiniketan all envied him for this special honour. Once Indira (Mrs. Indira Gandhi who later became Indian prime minister for four consecutive terms) complained to Tagore: Gurudev， you have shown too much favouritism to Wei. This won’t do.”

The life of the students and teachers at Visva Bharati then was very hard. But Tagore showed personal concern for the daily life of Wei and gave him special care. One day， Tagore saw Wei cooking some port with dried Chinese cabbage. He picked up a morsel with chopsticks that he used unskillfully， put it into his mouth and ate with great relish. He said approvingly: “This vegetable which looks like tea leaves tastes good.” His words made Wei laugh.

III.Passing on India’s Message to China

Stopping in front of a big framed picture， I looked at it for quite a while. It was a photo of Tagore with the first batch of graduates of his Visva Bharati. Though more than 5 decades had elapsed， I could still recognize the only Chinese student standing behind Tagore.

It can be said that these two memorials， set up and run by an individual person， are the first nongovernmental international museums in China. It was here that Wei received batch after batch of personages from home and abroad， most of whom were Indian friends. A visitor wrote in the visitor’s book “An international man Wei Fengjiang” in English.

An article entitled In Memory of Indira Gandhi written by Wei Fengjiang made the headline of the international page of People’s Daily on November 25， 1984.

This article was soon circulating among high-ranking officials in New Delhi. Though some 20 years had passed since the war the two countries fought at the McMahon Line in 1962， the clouds of cold war still lingered. This article carried on the official Chinese newspaper was like a gust of warm current blowing over the snow-clad Himalayas.

The Indian leaders wanted to invite an unofficial Chinese to visit India and passed on their message to China through him. Thus， on April 11， 1987， the 76-year-old Wei flew to the land that had nurtured him during his golden youth.

IV.Visva Bharati Revisited

On April 11， 1987， the news of Wei’s visit to India and a large photo of this 76-year-old Chinese appeared on all major Indian newspapers. Wei immediately became a public figure in India. On April 21， the students and teachers of the Chinese College of Visva Bharati held a grand meeting to welcome Wei. Student representatives with clear and correct pronunciation spoke at the meeting in standard Chinese and presented Wei with bouquets of flowers and a banner. On the banner the welcoming address was written in beautiful Chinese handwriting. It reads:

Respected Professor Wei Fengjiang

We warmly welcome you to visit the Chinese College again and welcome you to come back to Santiniketan with a feeling of nostalgia. It has been 50 years since you left here and the present visit is like home return to you. Today happens to be the 50th anniversary of our College. We are greatly honoured by your presence here when we are laying a new milestone. Fifty years have elapsed. What we feel proud of is that the Chinese College has produced many outstanding scholars for various parts of the world. They have not only taken with them knowledge， but also the style of study and spirit of the College. And you are one of the most outstanding. We express once again our welcome to you returning to your alma mater.

Welcome you， an old alumnus who has tirelessly promoted the spirit of Tagore in China.

On April 27， Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi met cordially with his mother’s classmate Prof. Wei Fengjiang in the Parliamentary Building in New Delhi. When Wei handed over to the Prime Minister the photos of Jawaharlal Nehru he took in his youthful years and a photo of Indira with her own signature， Rajiv looked at the photos attentively and said once and again: “It’s my grandfather. He was very handsome.”P(pán)ointing at the signature of Indira， he said: “My mother’s signature. Thank you for keeping it for more than half a century.”

Wei， a septuagenarian， sighed when revisiting the old places. Most of his schoolmates and teachers had passed away and the few survivals were difficult to find. When he paced up and down the Birla prayer ground where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated， when he sat by the bed where Tagore breathed his last and when he paid silent tribute at the tomb of Indira， tears welled up in his eyes.

V.Rajiv: “You Are My Most Respected Elder.”

Wei Fengjiang became the people’s ambassador for Sino-Indian friendship after returning home. On November 27， 1988， the People’s Daily carried a long article entitled My Contact with the Nehru Family by Wei Fengjiang. A few days after the publication of the article， Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and his wife paid a visit to China， the first visit by an Indian prime minister since 1962. Mr. and Mrs. Rajiv Gandhi had an amiable meeting with Prof. Wei Fengjiang. Looking at this high-spirited elder before him， Prime Minister Rajiv said with deep feelings: “Dear old man， you are my most respected elder.”

On September 7， 1993， Prime Minister Narasimha Rao also received Wei Fengjiang during his visit to China. When he spoke to the Indian reporters about his impressions of China， he especially mentioned the unremitting efforts made by Prof. Wei to advance Indian-Chinese friendship.

VI. We Will Always Remember Him

Having gone through trials and hardships of life， Prof. Wei Fengjiang left us. Indian Prime Minister A. B. Vajpayee sent a message of condolences， in which he spoke highly of this ordinary Chinese. The message reads:

New Delhi

March 9， 2004

Dear Ms. Wei Chaoyun，

It is with great sorrow that we have learnt of the passing away of your father， Prof. Wei Fengjiang. As the first Chinese disciple of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore at Santiniketan， he worked throughout his life as a bridge between our two ancient civilizations. His contributions as a great scholar of India and his enthusiasm to forge closer relations between India and China will remain with us. Prof. Wei has left an indelible mark in our minds through his dedication to the promotion of mutual understanding between our two peoples.

We are heartened to learn that he established a Tagore Memorial for his collection of Tagore memorabilia. This will continue to remind us of his association with Gurudev and with India.

We join you in prayer for the peace of the departed soul.

Yours sincerely

A.B. Vajpayee

Prime Minister of India