The Founder Principal

About the founder and principal 

Mr. Nishith Shah 唐汉明 has studied Mandarin and travelled across China. He holds a Masters in Teaching Chinese from Tianjin Normal University, China and Teachers training course from East China Normal University and Xiamen University. He has done his advanced-level Chinese at Zhengzhou University and Beijing Foreign Studies University.

He was awarded scholarship by the Confucius Institute to study Chinese in Mainland China. With a dream to bridge the cultural gap between India and China, he founded India China Academy in 2018. He is the co-founder of a Chinese YouTube Channel “ChiniChashma”. 

About the Founder and Principal

Mr. Nishith Shah (唐汉明) has dedicated his career to bridging the cultural gap between India and China through language and education, with a Master's in Teaching Chinese from Tianjin Normal University and extensive training from East China Normal University, Xiamen University, Zhengzhou University, and Beijing Foreign Studies University.

His passion for Chinese culture began at age nine with the Kung Fu series "The Legend of the Condor Heroes." Despite growing up in a traditional Jain Indian family involved in the diamond business, he embraced the challenge of learning Chinese. Lacking resources, he taught himself through TV shows and sought guidance from an elderly Chinese woman in Mumbai.

In 2015, Mr. Shah discovered the Confucius Institute Scholarship, which enabled him to study in China. Initially disheartened by India's lack of testing centres, he found an exam centre just as he was considering travelling to Thailand for the HSK test. With support from Hanban and Confucius Institute teachers, he successfully passed Level 5 of the Chinese Proficiency Test within a year.

Honoured as the first student selected for the Master of Chinese International Education program under the Confucius Institute Scholarship, he excelled at Tianjin Normal University, learning from leading linguists and acquiring advanced teaching methodologies. Remarkably, he achieved HSK 6, the highest level, in just eight months.

In June 2016, Mr. Shah participated in the "Chinese Bridge 2016 Global Chinese Conference for Foreigners," where he articulated his desire to promote Chinese and Indian culture through language and establish his school. His ambitions garnered recognition from the Chinese Consulate General in Mumbai and the Confucius Institute of India.

In 2018, after years of dedication, he founded the India China Academy, to provide authentic Chinese language education and promote cultural exchanges. The academy offers Mandarin and Hindi courses, corporate training, and cultural seminars on history, art, and cuisine. It also administers certified HSK, HSKK, YCT, and BCT testing and assists students in obtaining scholarships for studies in China.

Mr. Shah has participated in over 60 national cultural exchange activities and has been featured in major media outlets, including People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, and Global Times. He has also engaged in over 20 international events organized by organizations like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS.

To further his mission, he launched the YouTube channel "Chini Chashma," which showcases Chinese culture through history, food, art, and music, with content in Hindi and subtitles in English and Chinese. Under his leadership, the India China Academy  has become a vital platform for fostering friendly exchanges, collaborating closely with the Chinese Embassy in India and other organizations dedicated to strengthening the China-India relationship.