First Lady Liyuan floors one and all at school

In March this year, Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan made headlines around the globe, when she played graceful hostess to US First Lady Michelle Obama, who was in China for a week-long cultural diplomacy tour.

No wonder, on her maiden visit to India, she enthralled students, teachers and the paparazzi with her humility and poise. On Thursday, the Chinese First Lady spent about an hour at New Delhi’s Tagore International School.

Liyuan, who herself is a known folk singer, sang with the students, shared her knowledge of calligraphy and left them with memories for a lifetime with Chinese storybooks as gifts.

In a 45-minute programme, which included Kuchipudi, Bharatnatyam and Kathak performances by school children, Liyuan was seen humming along with a group of children who recited an inspirational poem in Mandarin.

Malllika Preman, Headmistress, Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar, told BusinessLine , “We were spellbound…She was extremely friendly and was hugging children. She also shook hands with all faculty members and invited the teachers to China on an exchange visit.”

The kids had been practising the Mandarin song for many days and the first lady delightfully remarked that the students had perfected the Chinese accent, Preman added.

Liyuan later also showcased her calligraphy skills by writing a famous Confucius quote in Mandarin which means: ‘Study the past if you would define the future’. She also taught the students how to hold the brush for this art form.

The First Lady’s stop at the Delhi school was the obvious choice, as it has been running exchange programme collaboration with Jinyuan Senior High School in Shanghai. Under this, Indian students teach Chinese students Kathak and yoga, while the Chinese students teach Tai Chi and calligraphy to their Indian mates. The students gifted a Tagore statue and a portrait to the First Lady.

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