"Chinese Culture Meets Students in Sri Lanka" event concludes in Colombo

COLOMBO, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- The closing ceremony of the serial events "Chinese Culture Meets Students in Sri Lanka" and the award ceremony of the "China Through My Eyes" event have been held in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.

A total of 48 Sri Lankan primary and secondary school students were awarded prizes on Thursday for essay writing, calligraphy, paper cutting, and painting competitions.

K.D.S. Ruwanchandra, secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation, said at the closing ceremony that the friendship between Sri Lanka and China is long-standing and the event provided opportunities for Sri Lankan students to understand China and Chinese culture, which is conducive to promoting cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the two countries.

Ji Lili, counselor of the Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka, said both China and Sri Lanka have long histories and splendid cultures, and the friendship between the two countries has grown stronger in recent years through expanding and deepening exchanges and collaborations in various fields.

"I hope all the students who participated in the cultural events will continue to study hard and make your contribution to the friendly exchanges between our two nations in the future," said Ji.

Indrananda Abeysekera, president of the Association for Sri Lanka-China Social and Cultural Cooperation, said the activity is the largest among all the events the association has organized, with the largest number of participating students and schools.

"It is not just our elders who can do a dedication to strengthening Sri Lanka-China cultural relations, our student generation also has the same responsibility," he said.

"China is one of the biggest countries in the world and it has many different arts and cultures," said Sri Lankan student Imashi Kawya Dasanayaka. "My dream is to study and travel in China and I feel like I'm one step closer to my dream."

The series of activities began in May at 11 Sri Lankan primary and secondary schools, showcasing Chinese traditional culture such as calligraphy, paper cutting, and martial arts and featuring photo exhibitions on Chinese culture and Chinese book donations.