Last night I met an Austrian living in Beijing named Walter who plays sitar/guitar professionally. He said he played with Li Daiguo at Little Bar two years ago and is in in Chengdu for about a week now.
Walter told me that at the Indian Consulate in Beijing they offer FREE lessons for Sitar, Tabla, Indian singing belly-dance etc. What a great opportunity for cultural exchange. The only thing you hear about the US. Consulate is horror stories of Chinese friends getting denied travel visas!
Might be worth looking into the Indian consulate cultural exchange programs, pack up your sitar and live in a hostel in Beijing for a week or two. I’m probably going to chill with Walter this weekend I’ll let you know when we do.