Welcome to The Araniko Project’s Tealeaks series. Tealeaks is a series of short, thinking-out loud reflections under the Nepal-China relations. Each of our articles will be brief, like a sip, but meant to leave a lingering taste: from fresh new ideas to challenging perspectives. Every article is based on our personal observations, reflections, and our curiosities after living in China for more than 10 years. Hence, its not a traditional researched article that we are used to. You can learn more about our previous Tealeaks series here

One of the unique practices in Nepal’s diplomatic history has been the open call for recruitment of Ambassadors. On May 28th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) issued a public notice inviting Nepali citizens to apply for ambassadorial positions abroad. More than 3000 applicants have applied for 13 ambassadorial posts. As per latest reports, the screening and selection process has been underway.

This has been a very unique practice because, previously, most positions either went to political appointees from ruling parties where chances of prioritizing personal or party interests remained high, or to career bureaucrats from within the government. In Nepali Times’ Sonia Awale termed it as “Pre-Paid Excellencies” on the phenomenon in 2024 where eight of the appointed Ambassadors then were all from political parties.

You can also read issue 145 on the pitfalls of politically appointed Ambassadors.

Kalam Weekly

Off the Record 145: How ambassadors are appointed

It’s June 28, 2024, and you’re reading Off the Record…

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2 years ago · 9 likes · Pranaya Rana

Considering the old practice of politically appointed parties, this is a very progressive step but certainly not the first time Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) advocated this method. In June 2024, when joining the coalition government led by Prachanda, RSP had 2 quotas for Ambassadors and instead of directly appointing, under leadership of then MP Shisir Khanal (now Foreign Minister), it announced open call for the position and 50 applicants were received. But, before it could manifest, the Prachanda government collapsed in July 2024 and the process disrupted.

This time with the majority government, the mandate for open call for Ambassador appointment has been heavily debated across social media platforms like X. Former diplomats, journalists and popular X commentators have raised a common concern that qualified and highly experienced candidates will not choose to apply but its the Government who should actively encourage them to consider the position. These concerns are indeed valid. But as the selection process is already underway, we are asking what would make a good Ambassador in the case of China?

The criteria

The Ambassador appointment ToR has presented four key duties and responsibilities for Ambassadors. These include 1) diplomatic and political duties on conducting negotiations and engaging in diplomatic activities on behalf of Nepal government, 2) economic diplomacy advancing the Government’s “development diplomacy” approach, 3) consular affairs on looking at engaging with Nepali diaspora and overseeing consular activities, 4) cultural and public diplomacy to build Nepal’s positive image.

By explicitly highlighting these duties and responsibilities to the Ambassador’s position, we believe that the objective is to return delegated authority to the Embassy. Here’s how we understand it. In recent years, especially during and after the post-pandemic era, the political party diplomacy has been quite prevalent and because Ambassadors were politically appointed, more focus was probably on promoting party interests abroad. But, with the current government, by openly announcing and delegating responsibilities, we believe that Ambassadors are now expected to be confident in promoting Nepal’s interest abroad.

When it comes to Nepal-China relations, there is no other platform in the country that has documented the history of two countries in great lengths, and can provide event information with these details. We started this purely out of passion but we need your support in order to help it sustain further, maintain The Araniko Project as independent readers-run research platform and help us advance Nepal-China scholarship.

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Note: Both the exhibition and the culture week event is inside the Temple. Free entry for Nepali visitors (please bring passport) and 20 RMB ticket for other nationals including Chinese.

Exhibition: Buddhist Images from the West—Araniko and the Art of the Yuan Dynasty

Inside the Hall of Great Enlightenment (大觉宝殿) of the White Dagoba Temple, an exhibition dedicated entirely to the life and legacy of Araniko, the teenage Nepali artisan who left the Kathmandu Valley in the 13th century and caught the eye of Kublai Khan, is underway. The main focus is his artistic style. Araniko is credited for introducing the “西天梵相”(Xitian Fanxian) style blending artistic styles from Nepali, Tibetan and Chinese. It is worth noting that 西天Xitian (the west land) is rather ambiguous concept and in Chinese historical records is often referred to South Asia today but could also be Tibet.

The exhibition layout is thoughtfully divided into chapters tracing this artistic synthesis. A collection of Buddhist statues of different centuries and styles. The exhibition has also 3D printed structures of the Feilai Peak in Hangzhou’s Linguini Temple to show the similar style stone carvings as well as the Yuntai arched gateway with buddhist carving and Ranjapa lipi and other scripts in Juyong Pass at the Badaling section of the Great Wall.

Later, its provided that Araniko also became the Director of All Artisan Classes(诸色人匠总管府), inclusive of art forms with different materials like stone, silver, wood, wax etc, giving Araniko immense administrative authority over the empire’s artists. From the exhibition, we can also find that one of his grandson later took over the same position. This is an incredible and remarkable position for a foreigner during the ancient China period.

The Details:

• Exhibition: Buddhist Images from the West—Araniko and the Art of the Yuan Dynasty

• Run: June 13 – October 11, 2026

• Venue: Hall of Great Enlightenment, Miaoying Temple (White Dagoba Temple)

When it comes to Nepal-China relations, there is no other platform in the country that has documented the history of two countries in great lengths, and can provide event information with these details. We started this purely out of passion but we need your support in order to help it sustain further, maintain The Araniko Project as independent readers-run research platform and help us advance Nepal-China scholarship.

Please support us by becoming monthly ($10 or Rs 1000) or yearly paid subscriber ($100 or Rs. 10,000).

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Week-long: The White Pagoda Cultural Week

The cultural market features a variety of Nepali food vendors vetted by the Embassy of Nepal in Beijing. From mom (9.90 rmb for 6 piece), waiwai sadheko to Nepali China (they even served it iced to beat the heat).

In another row, they have henna artists working on-site customizing designs to customer’s interest.

Note for the Dragon Boat holiday weekend: This Friday (June 19) is the Dragon Boat Festival. The market will extend its hours until 19:00, making it an ideal evening to catch the sunset hitting the white brick of the pagoda with a warm cup of spiced tea in hand.

Details:

• Event: 2026 Beijing White Pagoda Cultural Week & Market

• Run: Until June 21, 2026 (Daily until 17:00; extended to 19:00 on Friday, June 19)

• Venue: Parking Lot/Courtyard Area, Miaoying Temple (White Dagoba Temple)

Update!

We’re elated to have the opportunity to serve as translator and guide for the Nepali Foreign Minister during his visit to the White Dagoba Temple in June 16th. Most of the time in the past, visits by leaders to the temple used to be a ‘small quick affair’ and apart from sightseeing, leaders would have very little information or takeaway on the richness of the history and legacy that Nepali Artist Araniko has bestowed on the temple.

However, in this time, Foreign Minister Khanal took time to understand the history, essence and the significance of the White Dagoba Temple in Nepal-China relations. We took this time to also share from some of the archives we have on White Dagoba Temple in our four years of running The Araniko Project. We hope that more people are made aware, and we hope to see significant contribution by Nepali state and Nepali diaspora to reflect on Nepal’s contribution in China.

One more thing,

This year marks the 25th anniversary of handing over the Araniko Statue in White Dagoba Temple. The statue was made under the leadership and vision of Niranjan Bhattarai, eminent Sinologist who studied in Peking University in 1958, worked extensively in the Nepali Embassy in Beijing and later became Ambassador of Nepal to Pakistan, and his son Anoop Ranjan Bhattarai, Chairman of Nepal-China Executives Council.

If you are in Beijing, or do plan to be here throughout the year 2026, we do hope that you can make it to the temple and observe the statue as well.

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A brief note:

Today’s translation features the work of Nan Qidao (南七道), a prominent Chinese media entrepreneur and award-winning tech commentator known for capturing major cultural and economic shifts right as they happen.

This article delivers a raw, first-hand dispatch from the high-altitude trails of Nepal, tracking how a simple mountain fungus transforms into a premium status symbol for elite Chinese consumers. Nan moves past the usual corporate headlines to expose the brutal physical labor, cutthroat black markets, and immense wealth gaps fueling this hidden Himalayan gold rush.

Nepal’s grass, Chinese people’s treasure

The Nepalese Cordyceps Harvester and Me

“This is Himalayan Viagra, Chinese men love it,” my Nepali guide “Sanduo”(三多) told me, holding up a piece of yellow grass. We were at a high-altitude yak pasture along Nepal’s ACT (Annapurna Circuit Trek), at an altitude of about 4,100 meters. This was the 4th day of our ACT trek.

This is also one of the trading places for this magical little grass. They gather here, are transported to Kathmandu for processing, and finally make their way to China through various channels. This is Nepali Cordyceps[Yarshagumba], known as “Alpine Gold” and “Himalayan Viagra.”

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Welcome to The Araniko Project’s Nepal-China in a month update for May 2026 - the only place where you can stay fully updated on all matters of Nepal-China relations.

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We had our first post of these archives “What was Nepal Embassy in Beijing reading in 1980s?” here. Here we present the second part of the archives.

We are grateful to our paid subscribers for without their contribution, we would not have been able to acquire these archives. Over the coming months, we will gradually share the material contained in this archive to our paid subscribers.

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In this part, we present the Embassy archives from the 1980s. As of writing, we are working on the third set of archives that contains speeches given by Nepali delegations over the years, but here we present the student celebration list, the wine purchases and more.

It’s 27th December 1987, the Nepali Embassy in Beijing has invited Nepali students in Beijing for lunch to celebrate King Birendra’s birthday a day before. You’ve been missing Nepali/South Asian food, what do you expect?

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This is a translation of the diplomatic memoir by the then interpreter Zhang Zhenggang who also became the first secretary of the Chinese Embassy of Nepal and later accompanied the Charge d’affairs Zhang Zhenggang to establish the Chinese Embassy in Nepal in 1960.

01 Changing Seats with Marshal Chen

During the Spring Festival of 1964, I returned to China after working for four years at the Chinese Embassy in Nepal. I never imagined, even in my dreams, that after returning home I would have the opportunity to serve as an interpreter for Premier Zhou[Enlai]. In August 1965, Kirti Nidhi Bista, Vice Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Nepal, made his first visit to China at the invitation of Vice Premier and Foreign Minister Chen Yi. The Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed me that I would serve as the interpreter. The moment I heard that I would be interpreting for Premier Zhou, I could not help but feel nervous. Since it was such an important occasion, I prepared for it with all my effort.

02 Practicality in Economic Assistance

During this meeting with Bista, Premier Zhou mainly discussed the issue of China’s economic assistance to Nepal. At the time, Nepal was carrying out domestic development projects, and the shortage of electricity was a major problem. Since Nepal possessed abundant hydropower resources, the purpose of seeking economic aid was to build several small-scale hydropower stations.

During the conversation, Premier Zhou learned that Bista and his delegation were scheduled to visit the Xin’anjiang Hydropower Station. He immediately said to Comrade Fang Yi, who was accompanying them: “The Xin’anjiang project is relatively large and does not suit Nepal’s actual conditions. We should instead arrange for the guests to visit some small-scale hydropower projects, so that future aid projects can have shorter construction periods and produce results more quickly.”

Filled with sincere friendship toward the Nepali guests, Premier Zhou approached the issue of economic assistance with a strong sense of practicality. I had long heard about the Premier’s meticulous working style, but this time I experienced it personally.

03 An Incident at the Banquet Table

After the talks, Premier Zhou hosted a luncheon banquet for Bista and his delegation. At the same time, he also entertained a Nepali friendship delegation then visiting China, headed by Kan Bahadur Basnyat1, a Standing Committee member of Nepal’s State Council. I again served as the interpreter. During the banquet, both sides were relatively relaxed, and the conversation covered a wide range of topics. I focused intently on interpreting and hardly ate anything. Noticing this, Premier Zhou humorously remarked to the guests that several of his interpreters rarely ate during banquets, except for one English interpreter who was highly skilled and could eat while interpreting at the same time, managing both without difficulty. The guests all laughed upon hearing this. The hosts and guests chatted cheerfully, and the atmosphere at the banquet was lively.

However, there was one matter that puzzled Premier Zhou somewhat: Delegation leader Basnyat remained seated the entire time without eating anything. Premier Zhou asked whether he was feeling unwell or simply unaccustomed to Chinese food. Basnyat replied, “I am a vegetarian, and there is not a single dish on the table suitable for me.”

Upon hearing this, Premier Zhou immediately apologized to him and called the relevant staff over, saying: “Why didn’t you prepare vegetarian dishes for the delegation leader?” It was later discovered that another unit had been responsible for receiving the delegation, and due to insufficient prior communication, they had failed to inform the Protocol Department about Basnyat’s dietary requirements, which led to this oversight.

Before long, a waiter brought Basnyat a plate of vegetables and a plate of egg fried rice. But Premier Zhou was still dissatisfied after seeing this. He immediately told the staff concerned:

“This is far too simple. The delegation leader is a distinguished guest from our friendly neighboring country who has come from afar. Even vegetarian food should be prepared properly and with care! If I were arranging it, I could prepare vegetarian dishes for the delegation leader that were both varied and delicious.”

Both Bista and Basnyat were deeply moved by Premier Zhou’s sincerity toward his guests and his patient manner of instructing his subordinates. They repeatedly said, “We are close neighbors and good friends. It does not matter, it does not matter.”

During the banquet, Premier Zhou would also personally serve dishes to Bista and the other guests from time to time, making them feel as comfortable and welcome as if they were in their own homes. One of the dishes served at the luncheon was Beijing roast duck, which naturally became one of the topics of conversation.

After the roast duck was brought out, Premier Zhou took a thin pancake and prepared one for Bista with slices of duck, scallions, and sweet bean sauce, inviting him to taste this famous Beijing specialty. Unexpectedly, Premier Zhou loosened his grip slightly, and the prepared pancake slipped into the dish of sweet sauce on the table. He immediately exclaimed repeatedly, “Oh no, oh no, how can this be served to a guest!” At that moment, the guests were somewhat stunned as well.

Seeing this, I quickly said to Premier Zhou, “Please give it to me, I’ll eat it.” Premier Zhou smiled and said, “Then I’ll have to give it to you.” He then prepared another pancake for Bista and invited him to try it. By this point, even without interpretation, Bista understood what had happened. He repeatedly thanked Premier Zhou and said, “Now I understand. I know how to eat Beijing roast duck now.”

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04 “Knowing Only One or Two Foreign Languages Is Not Enough”

From the year I first served as an interpreter for Premier Zhou until 1971, over a span of six years, I worked as his interpreter on seven different occasions. During those years, whenever a Nepali delegation visited China, I was usually assigned as the interpreter.

The last time I interpreted for Premier Zhou was in March 1971. On that occasion, I could clearly see that he had aged noticeably compared to previous years. There were more age spots on his face, yet his spirit remained exceptionally strong. By then, the Cultural Revolution had already been going on for five years, and many cadres had been sent down to May Seventh Cadre Schools. I myself had already spent more than a year at the Jiangxi May Seventh Cadre School.

On the eve of the arrival of the Nepal National Panchayat delegation, the Ministry urgently sent a telegram overnight recalling me from the cadre school back to Beijing. The delegation consisted of more than twenty representatives from different regions of Nepal, and it was also the first delegation ever sent by Nepal’s National Panchayat to visit China.

Premier Zhou attached great importance to this visit. On the evening of the delegation’s second day in Beijing, he met with and hosted a banquet for them. In a very warm manner, he spoke with them at length about China-Nepal friendship and encouraged them to travel around different parts of China to see more for themselves, and to bring the friendship of the Chinese people back to the people of Nepal. Those attending the meeting and banquet included Vice Chairman Guo Moruo, Vice Premier Li Xiannian, and Vice Foreign Minister Han Nianlong.

Premier Zhou possessed extremely broad international knowledge and had a deep understanding of many countries, yet he still made use of every opportunity to tirelessly pursue new knowledge, putting into practice his famous saying: “Learning never stops”[活到老学到老] During the banquet, he asked Speaker Sharma in great detail about Nepal’s Panchayat system and its functions, including the structure of the National Panchayat and its local branches, as well as the terms of office for the Speaker and the representatives. Sharma, in turn, also learned about the system of China’s National People’s Congress.

When Speaker Sharma asked Vice Chairman Guo Moruo about his age, a very interesting exchange took place. After hearing Guo’s answer, Premier Zhou asked him in surprise: “Why did you tell the guest that you are one year older than your actual age?” Guo replied: “I included the one year I spent in my mother’s womb. Since I already had life from that time, it should count as one year old. Calculating age this way is scientific.” After hearing this, Premier Zhou repeatedly said, “That makes sense, it makes sense.” Speaker Sharma also remarked that Vice Chairman Guo’s explanation was very scientific, although it was the first time he had ever heard such an interpretation.

Premier Zhou also asked Sharma about the language situation within Nepal. Sharma replied: “Nepal’s national language is Gorkhali (Nepali). In addition, the Newar people speak the Newar language, and many literary works are written in Newar. English is understood only by intellectuals and is not widely spoken among ordinary people.”

At this point, Premier Zhou said: “Foreign languages are bridges. Every country needs some talented people who understand foreign languages. Only then can countries engage in international exchanges and communication, and only then can friendship among peoples be established. Without bridges, one cannot cross rivers.”

At this moment, Vice Premier Li Xiannian interjected: “For comrades engaged in diplomatic work, knowing only one or two foreign languages is still not enough.” He then turned to Han Nianlong, who was sitting beside him, and said: “You are a vice foreign minister, you should know several more languages.” Premier Zhou expressed his agreement and added that leading cadres in foreign affairs work should also take the lead in studying foreign languages.

Premier Zhou possessed an extraordinary memory. Although I had not served as his interpreter for more than two years, he still recognized me, remembered my name, and knew about my situation. During the banquet, he asked me with concern: “You’ve been at the cadre school for more than a year now. Have you forgotten your Nepali?” I replied: “I haven’t forgotten much, but the cadre school does not specifically arrange time for foreign language study, so I can only squeeze in some time at night to review on my own.”

After hearing this, Premier Zhou immediately said to Vice Minister Han: “The Foreign Ministry’s cadre schools should still pay attention to foreign language study for cadres. After all, they will still have to work as interpreters in the future!” Sure enough, not long afterward, the leadership at the Jiangxi cadre school announced that from then on, 8 to 9 every morning would be designated as foreign language study time.

At that time, the Cultural Revolution was still underway, and many normal activities had been swept away as part of the campaign against the “Four Olds.” Foreign language study was no exception. It was precisely because of Premier Zhou’s concern that many foreign affairs cadres did not completely lose their language abilities during their years at the cadre schools. During that period, Premier Zhou helped preserve a large number of foreign language personnel for China’s diplomatic front.

05 Interpreting in the Language of the Other Country

Premier Zhou consistently attached great importance to, and actively advocated, the use of each country’s own language in interpretation. Whenever interpreters who knew the counterpart country’s language were available, he would never use English or other common intermediary languages. This was true for Nepali, Burmese, Indonesian, and many others.

When I served as Premier Zhou’s interpreter in August 1965, he said: “We should cultivate interpreters who know the languages of different countries. If we interpret in the other side’s own language, the guests will feel friendliness and warmth, and they will see it as a sign of respect for their country and for them personally. It also makes it easier for both sides to become emotionally closer.”

Premier Zhou paid particular attention to this point.

In May 1968, Vice Chairman Bista visited China for the second time. At a banquet held in his honor, the Protocol Department arranged for an English interpreter. During his speech, however, Vice Chairman Bista read from a prepared text in Nepali, yet the English interpreter, who did not understand Nepali, continued translating into Chinese. Premier Zhou found this extremely strange. After the guest had finished speaking, he called the person in charge of the Protocol Department over and asked what was going on. The explanation given was that the interpreter had been translating according to an English version of the speech that had been obtained in advance.

After hearing this, Premier Zhou repeatedly shook his head and said very seriously: “The guest was not speaking English. He was speaking Nepali. Why didn’t you arrange for a Nepali interpreter? In protocol work, one must understand how to respect the guest! One must respect the guest’s national sentiments!”

This incident also revealed how deeply thoughtful and emotionally invested Premier Zhou was in foreign affairs work. In my view, this was precisely one of the qualities that made him a universally recognized great diplomat.

Original source in Chinese: Link here. Cover photo from Nepali times

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Deep insights on China & Nepal that is grounded in using primary sources, archives, interviews and original commentaries. The newsletter is hosted by the couple Raunab & Aneka - two scholars with more than ten years of experience in China.

Three years after that article, in April 2026, we visited the 20th Beijing International Tea Expo, which featured Nepali tea represented by Nepali entrepreneurs for the first time in China’s capital. The massive exhibition was organized into various halls, with the Nepali contingent securing booths D16-18 in Hall 11. Upon entering the hall, visitors are greeted by a vast diversity of tea, ranging from Yunnan’s Pu’er and Hangzhou’s Longjing to Fujian’s Oolong. Among the sea of domestic varieties, Korean, Sri Lankan, and Nepali teas were some of the few foreign stalls that drew a lot of crowd.

Sipping the Tea

Arriving in the last day of the exhibition, the atmosphere had already begun to soften at the edges. Stallholders hovered between fatigue and resolve: half-packed boxes tucked discreetly behind tables, yet voices still warm, still persuasive, still reaching for the last wave of customers drifting through the aisles.

A closer look at the exhibition map revealed a small but telling discrepancy. Five Nepali tea stalls were present, though only three had been formally listed in the Nepali Embassy in Beijing’s invitation. Upon our conversation on the ground, it was that two of the five stalls were operated by a Chinese businessman under the name “Nepal Tea Group”, who had inserted themselves strategically into the Nepali tea row. Not only did the Chinese businessman occupy a separate stall further down, displaying identical packaged teas, but he had also positioned himself squarely between Nepali vendors, effectively mediating the space.

Among the Nepali stalls, his stood out immediately. The stall decoration was neat, packaging was sleek, polished, and unmistakably familiar. We recognized the boxes at once as they were the same teas we had seen repackaged and circulated in Chengdu, albeit under different distributors’ names. Any attempt at conversation proved futile; the team were fully absorbed, deftly hosting the Chinese customers.

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Welcome to The Araniko Project’s Nepal-China in a month update for April 2026.

To get full access to April 2026, every other updates since January 2025 and our full archives since 2022, consider becoming a paid subscriber for $100 (Rs 10,000)/year or $10 (Rs 1000)/month.

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Politics

Chinese Ambassador meets PM Balen and Ministers
📅 8 April, 2026 | 📍 Kathmandu, Nepal

Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming attended a collective meeting hosted by Nepal’s new Prime Minister Balendra Shah with other foreign envoys in Nepal;

PM Shah stated the new government will pursue a balanced and pragmatic foreign policy, strengthening ties with neighbors and development partners based on mutual trust and shared prosperity.

Ambassador Zhang Maoming reaffirmed China’s support for Nepal’s sovereignty and stability, expressed that Nepal will continue its China-friendly policy and One China principle, and highlighted cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative to deliver tangible benefits.

April was also a busy month for the Chinese Ambassador as he was seen meeting majority of the cabinet Ministers right after their appointment in the office. Here we have compiled in our infograph the summary of those visits with key ministers as:

A point to note is that Chinese Ambassador met Home Minister Sudan Gurung while he was still in office during April 13. However, by April 22 Sudan Gurung had already resigned from his position. More details on the rise and fall of Sudan Gurung can be read through Kalam Weekly’s excellent article on the topic:

Kalam Weekly

The rise and fall of Sudan Gurung

Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening from Kathmandu. This is Issue 235 of Kalam Weekly, the only newsletter you need to keep updated with everything happening in Nepal…

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2 months ago · 25 likes · Pranaya Rana

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Professor Zhang Jiadong, Director of the Center for South Asian Studies at Fudan University, and a professor at the Center for American Studies, was recently in Nepal for a visit from April 10 - 15 2026. Upon return, has penned an article titled “Looking Forward to Nepal Finding a Path of Sustainable Development” for the Global Times. Professor Zhang is often invited for comments and commentary by Chinese state media on South Asia issues and more specifically Nepal related topics. We provide a direct translation followed by our take and critique on this piece.

Looking Forward to Nepal Finding a Path of Sustainable Development

Global Times
April 20, 2026, 14:56
Beijing

Zhang Jiadong

From April 10 to 15, 2026, the author traveled to Lumbini Province and Kathmandu in Nepal to attend meetings and conduct field interviews and research. Nepal is currently undergoing significant changes: Rastriya Swatantra Party, established only about four years ago, won 182 seats (out of a total of 275) in the federal parliamentary elections, achieving single-party governance with an overwhelming majority. This marks the first time since 1999 that a single party has secured a parliamentary majority in Nepal.

This political transformation has brought a series of positive changes conducive to reform and development, forming an important political foundation for the new government at the early stage of its administration.

First, the new government displays a distinctly youthful character, with strong reform vitality. Thirty-five-year-old Balendra Shah has become Prime Minister, making him the youngest head of government in Nepal’s history. The cabinet he formed is similarly highly youthful, with many members being political newcomers and professionals. The oldest finance minister is only 51 years old, while the youngest education minister is just 29; the average age of the cabinet is about 38. More than 70 members of parliament are under the age of 40. This young governing team is open-minded, proactive, more receptive to new ideas, and more capable of implementing new measures.

Second, Nepal’s new government has broken traditional political circles, demonstrating a governance orientation that reduces nepotism and emphasizes professionalism. More than 80 percent of cabinet members have no prior experience in traditional major parties or as members of parliament, and political newcomers account for as much as 77 percent of the legislature. This composition aligns with the Nepalese public’s strong expectations for clean politics and efficient governance.

Finally, the new government enjoys a valuable political honeymoon period, benefiting from a relatively relaxed domestic and international opinion environment. Domestically, the public is full of expectations for change, while the international community generally adopts a wait-and-see attitude. This tolerant atmosphere provides rare policy space for the new government to implement strong reforms and realize its governing ideals, and allows it to gain sufficient public support and international tolerance in the early stage of governance.

However, beneath this promising start, the deep challenges facing Nepal’s new government should not be overlooked. Numerous structural problems will continue to test its governing capacity.

A lack of governance experience is the primary shortcoming facing the new government. Although political newcomers are unburdened by historical baggage and are willing to break through constraints, national governance cannot be achieved by enthusiasm alone. Prime Minister Balendra Shah previously served less than one full term as mayor of Kathmandu. Among core cabinet members, even Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle, a well-known economist in South Asia, has only served as vice chairman of the National Planning Commission and lacks comprehensive experience in leading a central government.

An imbalanced economic structure has resulted in a serious mismatch between political demands and fiscal capacity. Nepal is a typical remittance-dependent economy, with remittance income long accounting for around 25 percent of GDP. Combined with annual official development assistance of $1.2 to $1.5 billion, external funds support nearly 30 percent of Nepal’s GDP. While this economic model has improved individual living standards, it has significantly weakened the government’s ability to regulate the economy. Compared with Lumbini Province in Nepal and northern Uttar Pradesh in India, both of which the author has visited in recent years, the two regions have similar GDP per capita, but Nepal has a higher standard of living while India has more developed infrastructure. This directly reflects Nepal’s weaker fiscal capacity compared to its neighbor, posing considerable challenges for supporting large-scale reforms and development plans of the new government.

The unique geopolitical environment imposes practical constraints on diplomatic autonomy. Although the new government seeks to pursue a diversified and balanced foreign policy, Prime Minister Balendra Shah broke the tradition of meeting foreign ambassadors to Nepal individually by holding a collective meeting with envoys from 17 countries, conveying the principle of sovereign equality. Toward India, the government aims to shift from a “special relationship” to one of equality and mutual benefit; toward China, it adheres to the One-China policy and pragmatically advances connectivity projects; at the same time, it actively expands cooperation with “third neighbors” such as the United States, Japan, and the European Union to avoid excessive dependence on a single partner. However, Nepal’s geopolitical reality of bordering only China and India cannot be changed, and the implementation of diversified diplomacy remains constrained by deeper geopolitical structures.

Public expectations are high, placing the governing team at risk of “secondary accountability.” The Rastriya Swatantra Party campaigned on anti-corruption, good governance, and economic reform, accurately addressing the concerns of Nepal’s younger and middle-aged population. After taking office, it quickly introduced a “100-point roadmap for good governance,” covering areas such as livelihoods, employment, and education. However, while it is easy to propose visions, implementation is difficult. There is a significant gap between rising public expectations and limited governance capacity. Some independent youth leaders who did not enter the governing circle are already preparing new political forces. Although the new government has secured a stable governing window through its parliamentary majority, it has also lost the buffer space traditionally provided by established parties. If improvements in employment and anti-corruption efforts fail to materialize, anti-establishment forces may themselves become the next targets of accountability.

Overall, Nepal’s youth-led political transformation is both a vivid example of the anti-establishment wave in South Asia and a source of new uncertainty in the regional geopolitical landscape. How long the political dividends of Nepal’s new government can last depends not only on the wisdom and determination of the governing team, but also on whether it can resolve multiple challenges, including economic structure, geopolitical constraints, and governance capacity. It is hoped that the government can find a balance between the passion for reform and practical rationality, truly bringing lasting stability and development benefits to the country and its people.

(The author is Director of the Center for South Asian Studies at Fudan University and a professor at the Center for American Studies.)

Source: Link here

My Take

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Exhibition title: Beyond Time: The History, Culture and Art of Sakya Monastery

On view through May 10, 2026, “Beyond Time: The History, Culture and Art of Sakya Monastery” offers a carefully structured introduction to one of Tibetan Buddhism’s most influential institutions at the Meridian Gate (午门) of the Palace Museum (Forbidden City). The exhibition brings together over 200 artifacts, arranged across four thematic sections that trace the monastery’s historical evolution, artistic traditions, and wider cultural connections.

Founded in 1073, Sakya Monastery emerged as a major intellectual and religious center, developing a distinctive visual language shaped by exchanges across regions. The exhibition gives much of its attention to the Yuan period, when Sakya figures engaged with Mongol rulers in ways that influenced imperial administration and integration.

For non-Chinese visitors, enthusiast or amateur, the mainly Chinese description and context required to understand most of the art could be overwhelming but it shouldn’t stop you from experiencing the exhibition as a rare opportunity to engage with a lesser-seen strand of Buddhist art and history in such an accessible setting.

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Below are some of the Sakya Monastery art from Nepal or made in Nepali style craftsmanship.

Middle: This blue-and-white porcelain plate, produced at Jingdezhen during the Chenghua reign of the Ming dynasty (1465–1487), features a lotus-centered design inscribed with Six-Syllable Mantra (Om Mani Padme Hum) in Lantsa script (word for Ranjana lipi when used in Tibet).

Right: Blue-and-white lidded vessel from the Xuande period (1426–1435), made at Jingdezhen, is decorated with Lantsa script and Buddhist motifs. Its design features mantra inscriptions, lotus patterns, and wave motifs, suggesting it was used as a ceremonial object.

This sculpture depicts Tara (度母), a revered Buddhist figure believed to help sentient beings overcome suffering and fear. Often regarded as an embodiment of Avalokiteśvara (观音菩萨), Tara holds a significant and enduring influence in Tibetan Buddhism. This particular piece, a gilt red-copper figure inlaid with gemstones, dates to the 13th–14th century and is attributed to Nepal, now preserved at Shakya Monastery. The figure is finely detailed: she wears a three-leaf crown and floral earrings, with a serene face, elongated eyes, and a straight nose. Her long hair fans outward, and her upright posture is complemented by flowing garments and a softly modeled form. Her right hand is in the gesture of granting wishes, while her left forms a teaching mudra, with both hands holding utpala flowers.

Left: Gilt copper treasure vase (净瓶), inlaid with turquoise and dating to the 18th–19th century from Tibet, is a Tibetan Buddhist ritual object symbolizing wealth, health, and longevity.

Right: Gilt copper figure of Maitreya (弥勒菩萨), inlaid with gemstones and dating to the 14th century from Tibet, depicts the future Buddha seated with a stupa in his crown and holding a ritual flask, his key attributes.

Description on the background: Nepali Artistic Style (尼泊尔艺术风格)

Left: Gilt bronze bodhisattva, dated to the 9th century and attributed to Nepal, is depicted with a full, rounded face, the right hand in a teaching gesture and the left holding what was likely originally a lotus. The jewelry and crown show continuity with earlier Nepali traditions from the 8th to 10th centuries.

Second to left: Gilt red-copper bodhisattva from 15th-century Nepal is inlaid with gemstones and features a calm, youthful expression. With its refined proportions and elegant detailing, it likely represents Avalokiteśvara (观音菩萨) reflecting the characteristic grace of Nepali craftsmanship.

Second to right: This red-copper figure of Tara (度母), dating to the 8th century from Nepal, depicts the deity seated on a lotus base with a serene and graceful expression. She wears a three-leaf crown and holds a lotus seed in her right hand, while her left is in a teaching gesture. The figure is finely polished, with smooth surfaces and delicate engraved details, and adorned with jewelry such as a crown, armlets, and belt.

Right: gilt red-copper figure of a female devotee (供养女), dating to the 8th century from Nepal, is shown kneeling on a lotus base with hands joined in reverence.

Highly recommend residents and tourists in Beijing to visit this temporary exhibition!

Location: Meridian Gate (Wu men)

• Once you enter from the main gate take left until you see the line and poster for the exhibition

Dates: 2026-02-10-2026-05-10, Tuesday-Sunday

Ticket Price for exhibition: Free

• Once you book your tickets for the Palace Museum (60 RMB), you’ll only need to register yourself (for free) to enter the exhibition.

• Reminder: If you’re a foreigner, you can show your passport and get a ticket at the counter, however, getting it online and beforehand saves time. Palace Museum tickets sell out fast so, book your tickets online at least 3-4 days ahead (https://intl.dpm.org.cn/index.html, or through their WeChat mini program which is more convenient).

Special thanks to Yenching Academy scholar and an avid photographer: Ignacio Barroso Gomez

Welcome to The Araniko Project’s Tealeaks series. Tealeaks is a short, thinking out loud reflections where the purpose is to stirr up good discussions and we hope that readers and subscribers can sip their tea, take notes of our leaks, and inspire anyone to more deeper examination of the topic. Readers can read our previous Tealeaks series here

One of the most interesting observation of the Nepal elections and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP)’s victory has been that four out of fifteen cabinet ministers, including the Prime Minister Balen Shah himself, studied in India. Across both Nepali and India media and public discourse, this has been seen as an opportunity to reset ties and win the hearts and minds which, I think, is a unique opportunity for robust engagement for both countries. Yet, it also made me wonder: Will foreign graduates from Chinese universities be able to take up key leadership positions someday?

By saying this, I don’t mean to start another India vs China logic. Of course, as a Nepali my deeper hope is that someday Nepali Universities can produce elite leaders not just in Nepal but also regionally (but maybe even that’s a too far fetched idea for now!). For now, historical to present, Nepali leaders had opportunity to study abroad and in most cases India and United States or UK have been very influential among them: from B.P. Koirala, Bhesh Bahadur Thapa, King Birendra, to Baburam Bhattarai, Sushila Karki, and now Swarnim Wagle, Mahabir Pun, Balen Shah to name a few.

Compared to US (or India) who have more than eight decades of engagement in cultivating talents, China is still new in ‘influencing the hearts and minds’. Its rise as a global power through infrastructure network and connectivity strength is no question but translating economic and infrastructural heft through genuine & sustained leadership influence, the kind that produces heads of state, prominent international institutions heads, influential leaders etc requires a different kind of investment—something that Chinese institutions have not capitalized into yet.

This article is not just about Nepal but here I explore a larger question to if China can influence or train developing nations’ elite leadership and more importantly does it know how to?

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Welcome to The Araniko Project’s Nepal-China in a month update for March 2026. Our monthly updates are a fantastic way to stay updated with everything about Nepal-China relations. We not only provide our additional take with major news or takes, but also through our one year plus archives of the updates, we are able to trace some of the major events across multiple timelines to provide a more clear and deeper level of engagement between the two countries.

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Politics

China congratulates RSP on the election victory
📅 11 March, 2026 | 📍 Kathmandu, Nepal

On 11th March, the International Department of the Communist Party of China sent a congratulatory message to Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) on their landslide election victory.

The letter, shared by Member of Parliament and spokesperson of RSP Manish Jha on X, states that the CPC over the years have maintained friendly exchanges with RSP and China believes that RSP will “remain committed to friendly relations with China and make new contributions to carrying forward our traditional friendship and deepening exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

Initially scheduled for a 10 day trip during September 2024, the RSP team had accepted invitation from the Communist Party of China, comprising of seven MPs and seven non-MPs under Dr. Swarnim Wagle’s leadership and included current Foreign Minister Sishir Khanal, Manish Jha, Dr. Toshima Karki and Asim Shah. That was perhaps the only time that a major RSP leadership had attended an invitation under CPC in China.

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Chinese media coverage of foreign events as observed in previous Nepal related events can be broadly categorized as follows:

• Initial reporting: Early coverage is often led by state media outlets such as Xinhua News (新华社) and China News Service (中国新闻网), whose reports are then widely republished by other Chinese media. This first round of coverage is usually short, formal, and event-driven, focusing on key facts and official developments as they emerge.

• Reporting plus analysis: Follow-up coverage by outlets such as Global Times (环球时报), Observer Net (观察者网), and The Paper (澎湃新闻) tends to be more interpretive, often incorporating commentary from Chinese academics, researchers, or other observers, as well as broader political framing. This second layer is useful for understanding how events are being contextualized for Chinese audiences beyond the initial news report. Normally, this would feature researchers, scholars and/or experts in the topic/field to write the piece or share their perspective.

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Nepali diplomatic gifts are rarely discussed, and many of the more familiar ones seen today, such as Buddha statues or figures of the Pashupatinath temple, often feel repeated, uncreative and uninspiring. Unlike most Chinese diplomatic gifts provided to Nepal, which are said to end up in the private residences of political leaders, gifts presented by Nepal during state visits are treated as state property. As a result, some of them can still be viewed in public exhibitions, including at the Central Gifts and Archives Center in Beijing.

Note: Visiting Central Gifts and Archives Center is free but you’ll need to book a day/time via their WeChat mini program/Dianping APP.

Several gifts have been exchanged in the past 7 decades of relations and here are some of the known exhibits.

Nepal Gifts, China Archives

1956: a Nepali culture delegation led by Balchandra Sharma visiting China presented this mandala as a gift in July.

1960: Copper wired inlaid stone beast-shaped lamp, presented to Zhou Enlai by Nepali Foreign Minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki.

1961: Model of Nyatapol Temple presented by Nepali King Mahendra to Liu Shaoqi, President of PRC and then Chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress.

1965: Presented silver-gilt engraving of Singha Durbar to Mao Zedong by Kirti Nidhi Bista, Nepali Foreign Minister, in August.

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1971: presented to Mao Zedong by Ram Hari Sharma, Head of Nepal’s Rastriya Panchayat, in April.

1972: Bronze model of the Mahaboudha Temple, presented to Mao Zedong by Nepali Prime Minister Kirti Nidhi Bista during his visit to China.

1979: Nepali King Birendra gifted Deng Xiaoping a wood-carved replica of Nepal’s famed Peacock Window in August.

1976: Silver-gilt mandala inlaid with colored stones, presented to Mao Zedong by Nepali King Birendra during his visit to China in June.

1981: Nepal presented a male rhino to China as a gift. Chinese ambassador to Nepal Ma Muming, presented a pair of white-lipped deer, a pair of white-naped cranes, and a pair of black-leaf monkeys.

(Photo by Hao Zhangyin, Xinhua News)

View more images here:

2002: Pair of gold-plated bronze lions, presented to Chinese President Jiang Zemin by Nepali King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev of Nepal during his visit to China in July.

2015: Replica of Nepal’s Taleju Goddess Bell, donated as a “Friendship Bell” by the Nepal-China Executives Council to Beijing’s Dazhongsi Ancient Bell Museum in August.

The gift was presented to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Nepal and China and to honor the wish of late Nepali diplomat Niranjan Bhattarai, who had hoped to donate a Nepali bell to the museum.

Niranjan Bhattarai was among the first Nepali students to study in China in 1958, later served as a diplomat at the Nepali Embassy in Beijing twice and even became the Nepali Ambassador to Pakistan.

2019: Presented to Chinese President Xi Jinping by Nepali President Bidya Dev Bhandari in April when she attended the second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) in April 2019.

We hope this short exhibit offers a gentle reminder that Nepal already has a rich reservoir of art, culture, and tradition from which meaningful diplomatic gifts can be chosen. There are also many talented and creative Nepalis, from artists and designers to craftspeople and heritage experts, who could be involved in imagining and producing gifts with greater thought and care. When selected with creativity and a sincere appreciation of their cultural value, such gifts can represent the country with greater depth and reflect the particular history and context of a relationship.

Other sources: https://www.sohu.com/a/133183462_692416, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/wbpm6WmsTUwjj4YBzp18Bg

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Know China Better. Read The Araniko Project

Deep insights on China & Nepal that is grounded in using primary sources, archives, interviews and original commentaries. The newsletter is hosted by Raunab & Aneka - two scholars with more than ten years of experience in China.

In Nepal, the March general election saw a total departure of traditional old parties to a new party - an election that is somewhat unpreceedented in Nepali history. Yet, while history was being made at home, in China the important annual Two Sessions (两会) was underway from March 4 and is expected to last for two weeks.

The Two Sessions is annual meeting of the China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) of 2765 delegates legislature, and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) - a political advisory body with about 2000 plus representatives.

The NPC delegates come from all 34 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, special administrative regions (SAR) and other specialized agencies within the government. Their extensive work during the two sessions includes amending the Constitution, approving the budget, and making laws. The CPPCC, on the other hand, is the political advisory body that has no legislative power, so its main function is to provide advise and submit policy proposals to the government. Its not necessary that one has to join the Party to become member of CPPCC and thus includes movie stars to even tech billionaires. It thus allows members to come up with diverse proposals and opinions that would reshape Chinese society. For e.g. during 2020’s Two Session when discussing the 14th Five-Year Plan, the 30-day “cool-off” period for divorces that was introduced in 2019 had to be revised due to its widespread criticism that it puts victims of domestic violence at greater danger. The policy had to be readjusted as it remained intact for divorces with mutual consent but would no longer be applied to those going to the court.

This event is very crucial as the government determines the economic growth target for 2026 and also the 15th five year plan from 2026-2030 which is going to inform on where Chinese government’s priorities will be for the next five years. Unlike in most of the countries around the world where GDP growth is the output or result of its yearly performance, in China GDP growth is the input as every year in Two Sessions the government determines the GDP growth target it needs to achieve for entirety of 2026. This year, the Chinese government has set the GDP target of 4.5 to 5% which is the lowest since early 1990s. From analysis to commentaries, many have expressed that lower GDP target this year means China is prioritizing security and stability over reforms. Li Qiang, China’s premier when discussing the government’s work report expressed it as:

“The uncertainty of the external environment is increasing, and the task of domestic reform and development is difficult and heavy. We must take more positive actions and more pragmatic actions to vigorously respond to various risks and challenges.”

The difficulties in domestic reform is largely attributed to reduced consumer demand. For the second consecutive year, Premier Li Qiang has stressed on boosting domestic demand and consumption as the top priority for China. Chinese per capita household savings rate was around 34% in 2025 which means that people are saving more as opposed to consuming. This is largely attributed to uncertainities in job market, fewer attractive investment options & long-term anxieties around retirement and health-care.

Another major challenge for China is to continue its export push in the midst of global uncertainities. In 2025, China saw a record trade surplus of $1.2 trillion, which helped sustain its growth as due to nature of intensified competition and price wars means that manufacturers are producing more than society is consuming, and thus it is dependent on exports to keep its economy afloat. Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao during the sessions commented on the trade surplus pledged on improving imports stating that it would increase import of agricultural products, high-end consumer goods and advanced technologies this year. It has called it as “high-level opening up” where it will aim to sign in more bilateral trades and open up fields like telecommunication, health, and education by aligning to global standards with more institutional openness.

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The 15th Five-year plan

This year’s Two Session is important as it outlines the 15th Five year plan from 2026 - 2030. Apart from improving domestic demand, important priorities are set, for the next five years, on technological breakthroughs especially in industrial robotics, artificial intelligence, and low-altitude economy. An interesting drift is that compared to its 14th Five-year plan, legislatures have ommitted Electric Vehicles (EVs) from their top priority in more than a decade. Already, there were 34 EV manufacturers in 2019 and rose to 80 in 2023 but fell to 77 in 2025 - the first decline on record. Now, without Chinese government’s major support programs, the EV industry will be heading to serious competition as price war intensifies and impact on its global sales.

The Chinese government has prioritized “technological self-reliance” as its major priority for the 15th Five-year plan. Xinhua news reports on the draft outline as “achieving greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology to develop new quality productive forces”. It plans to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its consumption upgrading. It also reports on “advancing next-generation intelligent terminals including AI-powered smartphones, computers and intelligent robots, and expand new scenarios for intelligent service consumption”. This will become an important hallmark of not just its tech-economy, but also the society in coming years.

A HongKong bases Robotics startup CEO told me a few months ago by making a prediction that “in next decade, Chinese families will be spending more money on purchasing robots than on purchasing cars” which to me signals China’s focus to prioritize its tech self-reliance.

An important area to watch out for in coming years is the low-altitude economy - a newest key priority for the 15th Five-year plan. China has championed itself on development of low-altitude economy, which generally refers to commercial use of drones within 1000 meters of airspace. With its integration, big Chinese cities will start to cash in on this market exploring its opportunities on domestic logistics and supply chain areas. Projection from Civil Aviation Administration in China suggests that by 2035, the market for low-altitude economy could surge to 3.5 trillion yuan or around 500 billion USD in today’s value.

Video taken by The Araniko Project at the Shenzhen Talent Park in Shenzhen, China in January 2026 where people can order food online and will be delivered at specific location through drones - low altitude economy.

Some key factors to keep in mind

Firstly, China’s dependence on export push has met with criticisms. In recent years, there has been research that China’s export push of ‘cheap’ products has largely affected developing country’s domestic industries due to its price advantage and mass production. India in Dec 2025 imposed 12% tariff on imports of Chinese Steel as large imports have hurt local producers. Similarly, Mexico has also raised 50% tariff on Chinese imports on cars, clothing and appliances in the face of US-China competition amidst Trump’s second term. As Nepal imports heavily and Nepali trading businesses in China are largely involved in exporting Chinese goods back home, policymakers or relevant authorities might want to promote measures to help domestic companies export to China, especially as Chinese government aims to prioritize imports.

In Nepal, 76 percent of the new EV imports are Chinese and it has seen surge and popularity in EVs in recent two years. Even though EV imports had declined by 22 percent last year, it was largely due to closure of Kerung border point for six months which was affected by glacial floods. With the new EVs no longer top priority for China’s 15th Five-year plan and government scrapping the EV subsidies, Chinese firms will engage in tough competition for its global share in EVs. For Nepal, in the short run, it can see rise in imports but as effect of subsidies wary out it will see competition with possibility of only few companies dominating the market. Globally, the effect of price war and shrinking government subsidies is being seen. For e.g. Neta Auto’s parent company filed for bankruptcy in 2025 after failing to pay wages, stranding customers in Thailand without after-sales support. But overall as stated in Rest of World, it is a win for consumers in either way.

Finally the low-altitude economy is expected to revolution in retail and distribution networks, agriculture modernization, disaster management and aerial tourism in the long run. Already, China’s top companies like Aerospace Times Feipeng is exploring overseas market and in coming years the trend is expected to follow. Nepal’s policies towards drones at present only limits around 500 meters and as per the World Bank faces an outdated regulatory framework, lack of structured training on its management for professionals and limited support for micro SMEs to grow and scale their innovation. An opportunity can be to explore the potential of low-altitude economy while as China’s economic engagement increases with Nepal, companies can also look forward to bringing innovation through commercial use of drones in the future. All of which requires Nepal to re-examine its policies on commercial use of drones in near future.

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Deep insights on China & Nepal that is grounded in using primary sources, archives, interviews and original commentaries. The newsletter is hosted by Raunab & Aneka - two scholars with more than ten years of experience in China.

Welcome to The Araniko Project’s Nepal–China in a Month update, where readers can stay informed about all major developments shaping Nepal–China relations. Join us beyond the paywall to not only keep up with the latest activities, but also to track progress of major activities across our one year of carefully built monthly archives.

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Politics

Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming presents his credentials to the President of Nepal Ram Chandra Poudel
📅 26 February, 2026 | 📍 Kathmandu, Nepal

The new Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming has presented his letter of credentials to President of Nepal Ram Chandra Poudel on February 26, 2026.

After his credentials, Kantipur has reported that Chinese government is set to provide $4 million as grant aid for Nepal for the upcoming elections. The Cabinet meeting held has decided to accept the amount received as grant.

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Until about a decade ago, it was possible for a foreign entrepreneur with limited China experience to succeed in the Chinese market. In Guangzhou, I spoke with a Nepali entrepreneur who arrived in the late 2000s to start a business and operated for nearly two years before formally registering his company. Many entrepreneurs I talked to from that period recall that local governments, themselves, were still experimenting with regulatory practices to support private enterprise. For early entrants, this created an optimum window of opportunity where institutional bottlenecks were relatively light, and those who adapted quickly could succeed with the system as it matured.

Trying to follow that similar path in today’s China, however, would be almost impossible.

When I travelled to Yiwu, Zhejiang Province in 2024, the city also known as the ‘World’s Small Business Capital’, I was reminded of how much the landscape has changed. About three decades ago, many Nepali traders came to Yiwu as sourcing agents or representatives of trading companies, helping overseas buyers connect with Chinese manufacturers. Back then language was a decisive asset i.e. anyone with a conversational Chinese language skills could move up quickly, coordinating logistics and managing cross-border communication at scale. However, in Yiwu today and across much of China, language skills alone are no longer enough. In fact, Chinese suppliers & entrepreneurs themselves are fully capable of navigating social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook or Whatsapp to communicate directly with international buyers. The traditional intermediary role of agent has therefore become competitive, if not partially redundant.

What this shift reveals is that the old strategies of working in China no longer holds. Success in today’s China requires more than just opportunistic entry or linguistic ability. It demands a deep understanding of fast-moving consumer preferences, evolving government policies, and increasingly sophisticated business and technological ecosystem. These are insights that are not acquired easily unlike a decade ago. Success in today’s China is best done by people who are already embedded into the society. This is because long-term residents - whether through studying in China, have generational family business or have pre-existing networks are better able to grasp regulatory and socio-cultural changes better than those without such experience. For Nepali companies, engagement with China requires a well-articulated China strategy.

In this article, I will outline on why such a strategy is more necessary today than ever before.

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We extend our warm wishes to all who celebrate the Year of the Horse, hoping it brings strength, endurance, and steady progress in the months ahead. Thank you for continuing this journey with The Araniko Project. We remain committed to sharing historical archives, lesser-known episodes, and thoughtful analysis on Nepal–China relations in the year to come.

马年吉祥，万事顺遂，前程似锦

In the start of 2026, the Palace Museum in Beijing (故宫博物院) released a horse-themed calendar to coincide with the Year of the Horse (which is a great souvenir idea for Nepal to improvise). Each page presents paintings and archival materials related to horses in Chinese history. On the page dated March 28 appears an image drawn from an eighteenth-century imperial hand-scroll created during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (乾隆). The painting depicts two brown horses that arrived in Beijing in 1793 (乾隆五十八年) as tribute from Gorkha (廓尔喀), located in present-day Nepal.

Following the Gorkha–Qing War of 1788–1792, which began with Gorkha’s incursions into Tibet and ended with Qing military intervention and a negotiated settlement, Gorkha entered into a tributary relationship with the Qing court. As part of this post-war arrangement, Gorkha sent gifts to Beijing that included weapons, elephants, and horses. Among the animals presented to the Qing court were two horses named Ziyunxi (紫云騱) and Fengyisou (凤臆騪), together with elephants.

In the winter of 1793, Emperor Qianlong ordered two European missionary painters serving at court to record the tribute animals. Louis Antoine de Poirot (贺清泰), a French jesuit missionary, painted the horses, while Giuseppe Panzi (潘廷章), an Italian jesuit missionary, painted the elephants. The resulting hand-scroll, titled Gorkha Offered Horses and Elephants Picture Scroll (《廓尔喀贡象马图卷》), is 40.8 cm tall and 318 cm long and now preserved in the Palace Museum. The imperial inscription “慎德纪全,” handwritten by Emperor Qianlong himself, appears prominently at the head of the scroll.

The horses are presented individually, without elaborate landscape. Their musculature is carefully modeled, their stance balanced and controlled. The elephants’ height and body length are inscribed in both Manchu and Chinese. Ziyunxi(left) stands firm, its weight evenly distributed. Fengyisou(right) lifts one foreleg slightly, suggesting poised movement.

Descriptions note that Ziyunxi and Fengyisou were hardy animals. They tolerated cold climates, subsisted on coarse feed, and possessed notable endurance and load-bearing capacity. Such qualities made them suitable for mountain transport and agricultural labor. Their physical resilience is conveyed through careful anatomical detail and measured presentation.

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To commemorate this tributary gift and Qing’s win over Gorkha, Emperor Qianlong penned a poem titled 《廓尔喀所贡象马至京诗以志事》（“Kuòěrkā suǒ gòng xiàng mǎ zhì jīng shī yǐ zhì shì” ）(‘Record of the tributary elephants and horses given to Beijing’).

Qianlong’s poem《廓尔喀所贡象马至京诗以志事》with attempted translation¹.

异域归降顺事机，来朝奉表赉先归。

From distant lands they yielded, sensing the tide of events, They came to court, presenting tribute, and were graciously rewarded before returning

马蹄象齿胥生致，鹿角狼胡笑彼微。

The horses’ hooves and elephants’ tusks, all rare and splendid gifts, While the ‘deer horns and wolf hides’ of others now seem paltry and laughable

军务细咨怜众苦，武功全蒇赖天禨。

Military matters are carefully inquired into, out of pity for the people’s suffering, Complete success in arms depends ever upon Heaven’s favor

持盈业业惟增惕，敢曰遐荒接踵依。

Holding abundance with constant caution, ever more vigilant still, How dare one boast that faraway barbarians will forever follow in our steps?

The painting of the Gorkha elephant and horses are accompanied by an imperial preface written by Emperor Qianlong (also named 弘历) in 1793. In this text, the Gorkha campaign is described as a distant region submitting “in accordance with circumstance,” and the elephants and horses are noted as having arrived alive after a long and hazardous journey to Beijing. The wording of the preface draws directly from Qing frontier political thought, invoking Heaven’s mandate, the fulfillment of military achievement (武功全蒇), and the necessity of sustained caution even after victory.

For Nepal–China history, this document demonstrates how a military episode was incorporated into the Qing imperial archive through poetry, inscription, and painting.

At roughly the same time, a second artwork addressed the same diplomatic moment from a different perspective. The Manchu prince Hongwu (弘旿, 1743–1811), a cousin of the Qianlong Emperor and an accomplished painter, produced Gorkha Offered Horses and Elephants Picture (《廓尔喀贡进象马图》). Unlike the European-style naturalism of Poirot and Panzi, Hongwu’s composition unfolds across a mountainous frontier landscape rendered in green-blue tones.

In this version, the animals are shown in transit. Attendants guide two elephants and some horses along a border road, framed by layered peaks and open plains. The scene is described in archival sources as “边城山路，番民护送状,” meaning a border mountain road with escorts accompanying the tribute. The scroll includes Qianlong’s imperial poem and bears multiple imperial seals, including “乾隆御览之宝” and “乾隆鉴赏,” and was later recorded in the Shiqu Baoji Sanbian (《石渠宝笈三编》). The records of the tributary elephants and horses became a representation of Gorkha’s tribute to the Qing court through painted scrolls and dedicated poetry by the emperor himself.

The following is an inscription regarding the tributary animals which names countries and places such as Siam (Thailand), Burma (Myanmar) and others that had gifted elephants and horses, while emphasizing that these animals, whether for grazing or serving in military ranks, were not unique; rather, what matters here is the political circumstance in which they were received.

You can also read our previous article on similar topic:

[1] We welcome corrections or any officially recognized translation of Qianlong’s poem.

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Often times Nepali delegations who come to Beijing and with whom we’ve had chance to interact with, assume that because China is ruled by the Communist Party, it instinctively evaluates foreign political leaders through ideological lens. In fact, a Chinese friend who worked in a Chinese think-tank until few years ago was surprised that Nepali delegations consistently referred to him as “comrade” and emphasized ideological positions to justify political legitimacy. He told us that even he doesn’t call his colleagues comrade so why would anyone in Nepal do so.

That assumption is often misplaced.

Infact, contemporary China is largely understood as a meritocratic political system that underwent decades of elite transformation by having technical bureaucrats across all levels. By 13th Party Congress in 1987, almost all leading positions from highest to lowest level were all bureaucratic technocrats. As economy grew in size, the need for expert bureaucrats increased. Today, as per Marcopolo China’s study, 25 out of 31 provinces have at least one incumbent leader (party secretary or governor) with a background in tech and engineering, which has more than doubled from just 11 in 2017. Similarly, in the 20th Party Congress in 2022, five out of thirteen that joined the 24 member Politburo have educational background in engineering especially in industrial, aerospace and military. In that Congress meeting, President Xi Jinping also pointed out that “we must regard science and technology as our primary productive force, talent as our primary resource, and innovation as our primary driver of growth” urging everyone to adapt this new development philosphy to reform its socialist market economy principles. Chinese leadership has integrated its ideological principles of socialism with Chinese characteristics into the need for rapid technological advancements, thus bringing technology as core agenda and technocrats as key resource.

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Welcome to The Araniko Project’s first Nepal China in a month update for 2026. Against a backdrop of intensifying domestic politics in Nepal ahead of elections, January has seen some important updates in Nepal - China relations: from ousting Huawei to proposal for Lhasa-Kathmandu bus route, to central bank governor’s discussion in Tianjin, and exploring new investment opportunities and sister cities collaboration. All this and much more in detail in our January 2026 updates.

What makes our monthly update unique is not only recording of the events, but the ability to situate them within an ongoing timeline. Developments in January, whether its in telecom, trade, or exchanges, echoes debates and decisions from previous months, thus allows our readers to see continuities, reversals and patterns. The updates are more than just ‘news’.

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