KUNMING, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- From weapons displays to anti-terrorism drills, from tug of war to basketball matches, from kung fu to yoga, from "xiexie" to "shaabaash," the Chinese and Indian armies are cautiously getting closer, hoping to learn more about each other.

　　This has been the first-ever joint anti-terrorism military training for the two armies since 1962, when the two Asian giants experienced a brief border conflict.

　　"Hand-in-Hand 2007," as the joint training is called, involves 103 ground troops from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and an equivalent number from the Indian Army.

　　It is being held since Dec. 19 at the PLA's Kunming Military Academy, located in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, which borders Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.

　　Although some military and diplomatic observers said that the joint training is more symbolic than substantial, many acknowledged that the point is not the scale of the joint training or what specific anti-terrorism skills are involved. The point is that the soldiers on both sides are moving toward each other in a friendly way.

　　LIVING TOGETHER, EATING TOGETHER, TRAINING TOGETHER

　　When the young soldiers of both armies sit face-to-face, for the first time, on both sides of four long dining tables in the large dining hall of the Kunming Military Academy, they seem very stiff and even shy, avoiding eye contact.

　　But things change a little when they almost finish their supper at a welcoming banquet hosted by the Chinese side on the second day following the arrival of the Indian troops.

　　Although most of them cannot speak the other group's language, the smart young men quickly begin to use body language to communicate, or just say "Cheers!"

　　Indian soldiers learn to use chopsticks from Chinese soldiers, while some Chinese soldiers try to use their poor English to introduce Yunnan's popular scenic spots to their Indian counterparts. The quiet dining hall is soon filled with laughter and snaps of digital cameras featuring hand shakes and smiles.

　　"Now, I know Yunnan is a lovely place with lots of tourist sites, such as Stone Forest and Three Pagodas," says 22-year-old Lt. Avinash Singh of the Indian Army.

　　Aside from eating in the same dining hall, the 206 troops live side by side on the ground floor of the same three-story building in the military academy, half to the north of the entrance, half to the south.

　　Step by step, the Indian troops learn simple Chinese, such as "xiexie" (thank you), "nihao" (how are you?) and "jiayou" (cheers). The Chinese soldiers learn how to say "Good" in Hindi --"shaabaash." They happily use their new vocabulary to encourage the soldiers from the other country on the military training grounds, in addition to watching each other's military drills with keen interest and applause.

　　Every morning during the joint training, Indian soldiers learn kung fu and Chinese soldiers learn yoga from each other. Every evening, they hold basketball or volleyball matches or play tug of war.

　　"They are flexible. They grasp yoga quickly," says Capt. Tripurari Singh of the Indian Army. "And I like learning kung fu. I've seen all of Jackie Chan's action movies."

　　But as young men and soldiers, none of them would like to be "defeated" on the "battlefield" by the other side in the joint training. The program includes subjects such as military psychological training designed to help people get rid of their fears and foster perseverance, obstacle-crossing in high, cold mountains, shooting skills, and "room intervention" to fight terrorists and rescue hostages.

　　"I will certainly show my best in the joint training and at the same time, I will learn from the Indian soldiers in a modest attitude," says Yang Yong, 25, a non-commissioned officer (Class 2) of the Chinese troops.

　　"It's easy for me. No problem. I can do that, too, though I haven't done that before," says Jarid Ahmed whenever he sees Chinese soldiers accomplish a "mission impossible," like relaying an explosive that has been ignited, one after another, and throwing it away quickly before it blows up.