BEIJING, Jan. 21 -- Endless beaches, historical sites, friendly people, oodles of elephants and famous tea….all these things remind us of a unique country—Sri Lanka.

Set in the Indian Ocean in South Asia, the tropical island nation of Sri Lanka has a recorded history of more than 2,500 years. It is a place where the original soul of Buddhism still flourishes and where nature’s beauty remains abundant and unspoilt.

People’s Daily Online had an interview with Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku, the Sri Lankan Ambassador to China to further explore the beauty and charm of this country.

Few places in the world can offer the travelers such a remarkable combination of stunning landscapes, pristine beaches, captivating cultural heritage and unique experiences within such a compact location. Nowadays more and more Chinese people consider Sri Lanka as their ideal tourist destination. “In fact, not only China, tourists from all over the world, including Japan, Korea, and Europe who have visited Sri Lanka are willing to come here again,” said the ambassador. “With the improvement of the aviation, there are direct flights from several Chinese cities to Sri Lanka, making the trip more pleasant and convenient.” It’s really a pity for travelers to fly over Sri Lanka on their way to other destinations.

Besides, the Sri Lankans all love their tea. Introduced to the country in the 19th century by colonial British Ceylon, Sri Lankan tea is one of the best in the world. Now the tea has come to China with the promotion program of the Sri Lankan embassy.

“Ceylon tea has a special taste. China and Sri Lanka have shared tea culture. We know that new generation in China is like to try on new things. So it’s good time to introduce our tea to a country with such a large population. Sri Lanka decides to have a special tea campaign in China. We are doing our best to make it more and more popular,” said Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku.

In terms of the economic development, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has just announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos that his government will go ahead with a multi billion U.S. dollar port city project in the capital funded by China after it was suspended earlier last year.

The ambassador values its economic ties with China, emphasizing the role that Chinese government plays in investing and developing the infrastructure in Sri Lanka. At the same time the ambassador also encourages affluent Chinese to invest in Sri Lanka especially in the stock market. As a country along the Maritime Silk Road, the ambassador welcomes “One Belt One Road” initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and hopes this initiative will create more economic opportunities to all the countries along the route.

In the future, the ambassador hopes that more Chinese students will choose to receive higher education in Sri Lanka. “Now many Chinese students study abroad in the U.S. or Europe. Sri Lanka is also competent in higher education. Studying here will provide students with a comprehensive global view, which has nurtured many leaders in world economy and politics,” said the ambassador.