Nine Chinese cities to host Yoga Day celebrations

Shanghai, June 17: Nine cities in eastern China are to host the 2nd International Yoga Day celebrations from June 18-26 June, with the theme "9 Cities, 9 Days bringing 9,000 Chinese Yoga lovers closer to India".

The Consulate General of India in Shanghai along with municipal/city governments of Shanghai, Wenzhou, Wuxi, Zhenjiang, Taizhou, Yiwu, Shaoxing, Yangzhou and Ningbo would be jointly organising the largest ever celebration of the International Day of Yoga (IDY) in the eastern China region from June 18 to 26.

A series of yoga promotion events are being organised in the eastern China region with participation of at least 1,000 yoga lovers at each of the nine cities.

Under the aegis of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), a senior Indian yoga teacher has been flown in from India to demonstrate hour-long yoga sessions as per the Common Yoga Protocol, according to a press statement from the Indian mission in Shanghai.

In Shanghai, three special events have been organised. They would begin in the morning of June 21 at the Jing'an Park. Jing'an leadership and several consuls general have confirmed their participation. The event is likely to be attended by nearly 1,000 yoga lovers from across the Jing'an district.

The second event in Shanghai has been aimed at the young college-going fraternity of the Shanghai University of Electricity and Power, with over 300 students participating in a special session.

A special photo exhibition chronicling the history of yoga along with special postures and their health benefits (as detailed in the Common Yoga Protocol), would be inaugurated for a week's display at the Shanghai Library.

During the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to China in May 2015, a joint Yoga-Taichi session was conducted at the Temple of Heaven in the presence of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Modi. The practice of yoga is immensely popular in eastern China region with thousand of Yoga clubs promoting the ancient Indian practice of yoga, it said.

This nine-day schedule would mark the largest celebration of 2nd IDY in mainland China in terms of scale, size and level of participation, it said.

India and China jointly co-sponsored the resolution adopting the IDY in the United Nations in December 2014. The resolution also received an unprecedented 177 co-sponsors from the 193 member states of the United Nations, establishing a record in the United Nations General Assembly for any Resolution of such nature.

IANS