It was recently reported that following conversations between Chinese President Xi Jinping and PM Narendra Modi, India and China have agreed to co-produce three films together.

Xi told Modi about a 2012 Chinese blockbuster,Lost In Thailand, that resulted in a burst of Chinese tourism to Thailand, and discussed the probability of making aLost In Indiaon similar lines. It is also said that if Bollywood can pull such a movie off, it might get an entry into the world's largest movie market. The two other films to be co-produced are a feature film on Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) and another on yoga.

This year was the first time China purchased four Indian films. Aamir Khan recently returned to India after a grand PK premiere in China, and sadly, also put the rumours of him working with Jackie Chan inKung Fu Yoga, to rest. Last year, we had actors of the first Chinese movie being shot in India,My Amazing Trip To India, shooting a traditional wedding sequence in Phool Mahal Palace and Roopangarh Fort in Kishangarh, Rajasthan. Things are looking bright, but history doesn't have much to say and show about India and China sharing any cinematic relations.

From Lahore(1949) to Welcome 2 Karachi (released last month), a number of films have been made about the Indo-Pak relationship, themed on wars, terrorism and the cross-border relationship. But China hasn't been that big a part of Bollywood films yet, despite India sharing a bigger boundary with that country. The new film treaty may see many collaborations in future, but for now, let's take a walk down the memory lane and see how China has been portrayed in our films so far.