Literary Exchanges between China and India through English： Ahmad Ali’s Visit to China and the Sino-Indian Literary Exchanges in the 1940s

Ahmad Ali visited China in the late 1940s， and his trip reflected the complex trajectory of Sino-Indian literary exchanges. The entire process of Ahmad Ali’s visit to China in 1947 was well-documented in news reports， with more than a dozen newspapers covering the event， highlighting its significance at the time. Ali came to China as an Indian professor， and this exchange between China and India also involved British influence. In the history of Indian literature， Ahmad Ali is known as one of the initiators of the Progressive Writers’ Movement and the author of the novel Twilight in Delhi. The Indian Progressive Writers’ Movement had direct connections with Indian writers living in Britain， and the publication of Ali’s novel was supported by British writers. Against the backdrop of the global anti-fascist war， Ali came to China as a British literature professor， facilitated by networks established by the British Council， the BBC， and British writers. In the 1940s， Britain became a unique space for Sino-Indian exchanges， with some literary magazines published in London featuring works by Indian， Chinese， and other Eastern writers. These magazines became sources for Chinese translators to introduce Indian writers’ works. During his time in China， Professor Ali not only taught British poetry but also published articles introducing Indian literature. Additionally， he collaborated with Fang Yingyang to translate a large number of new Chinese poems， contributing to Sino-Indian literary exchanges. During the anti-fascist war， Eastern and Western writers built bridges of cultural exchange， allowing Sino-Indian writers to achieve textual and personnel exchanges in the international cultural space. This represents an overlooked undercurrent in the history of Sino-Indian literary exchanges.