As a part of 150th Birth Anniversary celebration of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, the Consulate organised a Tagore Essay Competition on Tagore and his life which was open to students and people from all walks of life in China. The Competition which was jointly organised with Jinan University, Guangzhou received 310 entries from all over China.

The essays were shortlisted and 10 contestants were declared winners of the competition. The 1st prize was won by Zhou Shize from Jiangyou Experimental School of Sichuan Province , 2nd prize was won by Xiang Xuanxuan from Nanjing University of Science and Technology and the 3rd prize was shared by three persons, viz. Chen Qingming from Fujian Province, Lin Chunlai from Fujian Province and Cheng Ping from Jinan University, Guangzhou. The rest of the five winners were awarded consolation prizes.

The felicitation function for the award winners was organized at Jinan University, Guangzhou on March 2, 2012. The award function was attended by a large number of people including senior academics from Guangdong Province, Provincial government officials, media persons and students. The prizes for the essay competition was sponsored by Jet Airways and ArcelorMittal Group.

On 26 January 2012, Consulate General of India in Guangzhou hosted the 63rd Republic Day celebrations at the residence of Consul General. The event was attended by members of Indian community in China in large numbers. The celebrations began formally with the hoisting of the National Flag by Consul General, Shri. Indra Mani Pandey. The unfurling of the national flag was followed by a heartwarming rendition of the National Anthem by the members of the Indian Consulate and Indian community in Guangzhou including Indian students in Guangzhou. After the rendition of the National Anthem, Consul General read out the Honorable President of India H.E. Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil’s address to the nation. After the Honorable President’s Address to the Nation was read out, all the assembled guests were invited for a round of refreshments.

The spouses of the Consuls General of Asian countries, based in Guangzhou, jointly organized an Asian Food and Cultural Festival with a view to showcase together the richness and immense cultural diversity of Asia and to share various facets of their diverse culture with the Consular Corps and the people of Guangzhou, including the representatives from the Municipal People’s Government of Guangzhou and the Provincial People’s Government of Guangdong. A group of Indian women presented dance performances from India. Indian cuisine, prepared by the spouse of Indian Consul General, was appreciated by the guests.

The Consulate General of India, Guangzhou organized an investment Seminar in Changsha city of Hunan Province. The event was supported by Department of Commerce, Hunan Province. The Seminar was attended by more than 60 key enterprises of Hunan province and also government officials from Department of Commerce, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Changsha Foreign Affairs Office (FAO), etc. Indian Ambassador to China, Dr. S. Jaishankar gave a keynote speech for the Seminar. The representative from Invest India explained the general policy situation of investment in various sectors. The Indian delegations from Industrial Extension Bureau of State Government of Gujarat, Karnataka Udyog Mitra of the State Government of Karnataka, Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone, Gujarat and Sri City Integrated Business City and Special Economic Zone from Andhra Pradesh made presentations showcasing the advantages of investing in respective states or regions and the opportunities available to various investors. The event closed with a Question and Answer session which attempted to clear doubts of prospective Chinese Investors.

For the first time India participated in the 15th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) in Xiamen City, Fujian Province. India was represented by delegations from the states of Rajasthan, Maharashtra and FICCI, Invest India, Khed City Special Economic Zone and Derewala group. The Consulate General of India, Guangzhou along with Embassy of India, Beijing organized a seminar on “Investment Opportunities in India” on 8th September 2011, which was attended by more than 80 Chinese enterprises and government delegations from various Chinese provinces.