Building bridges of friendship :

Impressions of Lanka - China cultural ties

by our Special Correspondent in Beijing

Throughout a history spanning over 2,500 years, Sri Lanka has tended many fruitful and long-lasting cultural ties with a multitude of Asian nations, including India, China and Japan. This article attempts to highlight the mutual co-operation and intensified people-to-people interactions of both Sri Lanka and China based on common values and our historical and cultural bonds.

However, before delving deep in to the contents of the article, it is important to understand the significance of building cultural relations. Culture in the contemporary world holds an important place. Cultural relations build commitment and trust between people of different communities by exchanging knowledge and ideas. It gives power to transnational communities and connects them to networks.

In doing so, cultural relations contribute to the collective enterprise that is public diplomacy, by developing the networks upon which solutions to common challenges can be based. This clarification echoes Pierre Bourdieu's argument that greater interconnectivity leads to greater trust and willingness to share resources and information, which benefit the whole community. As a result, the network allows people to understand each other better and to share resources. This ultimately creates the potential for innovation in facing common challenges.

Sri Lanka's relations with China are as old as the nation's history, with Chinese records mentioning Sri Lanka as far as the fourth Century. The earliest authenticated reference to Sri Lankan links with China is made by the Roman historian and naturalist Pliny. He spoke of stalwart men of light complexion, blue slit eyes, coarse voices and lacking a common language who called for trade at the port of Mantota in the Mannar coast, a flourishing trade entry point at that time in the island.

Fa-Hian, the celebrated Chinese Buddhist Monk who travelled to Sri Lanka to acquire Buddhist scriptures between the years 399 and 412 records that he was greatly moved to find silks in the island from his native China. Contemporary Chinese records maintain that Persia-bound vessels from China traded in gems, spices and ivory at the flourishing port of Mantota. Ivory was highly valued in China where expert Chinese craftsmen turned out exquisite carvings from it.

In 527 AD, King Silakala had sent an ambassador to the Chinese Emperor's Court. Although this mission had been of a purely religious nature, the establishment of political relations and securing closer trade contacts would no doubt have been other motives. With the installation of the Tang dynasty in China in 618 - 907 AD, closer ties were established with Sri Lanka. Several Chinese monks visited the island in search of the Dhamma, in addition to the many Sri Lankan Buddhist monks who travelled to China.

A large collection of Chinese coins, in total 1,352, were found almost a hundred years ago in, Yapahuwa, the early 13th century stronghold of King Bhuwanekabahu the First. Three of the coins analysed had been from the Tang dynasty and all the others from the Northern and Southern Sung dynasties. More collections of coins and artefacts had been discovered in places such as Buttala and Nagapatnam, suggesting relations with China dating back to hundreds of years.

Modern day ties with China accelerated with the Rubber-Rice Pact signed between the two countries in 1952. This was the first trade agreement of the People's Republic of China with a non-Communist country. In 1957, the two countries established diplomatic relations. The Sino-Sri Lankan relationship has been one which has been strong and unwavering through both thick and thin. Over the years, the ties between the two countries, particularly cultural relations, had evolved and taken an upward movement. In the past, these interactions were predominantly associated with religious and trade relations with China. Later, these relations have expanded to much broader areas such as art, entertainment, sports and education.

The Sri Lanka Embassy in Beijing, under the vision of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has been able to strengthen and redefine the existing cultural ties between China and Sri Lanka over the past four years.

Agreement on cultural cooperation

In 2007, during President Rajapaksa's state visit to China to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage of Sri Lanka signed an Agreement of Cultural Cooperation with the Culture Ministry of China. Under this agreement, there have been several programs and exchanges between the two countries to promote and enhance cultural relations.

Empowerment of Women and Children

Madam Shiranthi Rajapaksa, the Fist Lady of Sri Lanka, visited Beijing respectively in 2007 and 2009, opening new horizons for economic empowerment of rural women and children and further promoting close cultural affiliations. As a consequence of these visits, the ties between Sri Lanka and the All China Women's Federation have been strengthened with a reciprocal visit by the latter to Sri Lanka in April 2010. The First Lady elaborated extensively on the Siriliya Saviya programme and its catalytic services in empowering the women of Sri Lanka to engage in a suitable livelihood. These positive impressions created during the discussions led to the All China Women's Federation of China to pledge initial support to strengthen the capacity of Siriliya Saviya and donations of computers and sewing machines worth US$ 70,000 were made.

Promotion of culture through films

The National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2007 with the Film Bureau of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television of China which had led to fruitful cooperation between the two countries in the field of films. The first Sri Lankan Film Festival was organised in 2007 in Beijing to mark the 50th Anniversary of China-Sri Lanka diplomatic relations. Four popular Sri Lankan films were shown in two theatres in Beijing for the Chinese audience, offering a glimpse of Sri Lankan culture and living to the movie lovers of China.

During this film festival, the visiting Sri Lankan film artistes were given the opportunity to closely interact with their counterparts in China to hold discussions, share their experiences and to gain exposure to the latest film production technology available in China. In 2008, a Chinese Film Festival was organised in Colombo and in Kandy. The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing and the Consulate of Sri Lanka in Chengdu together with the Film Bureau of China are now in the process of organising the second Sri Lankan film festival in China in May this year.

The Chinese film industry is fast growing. In 2009, Chinese box office revenues surged 44 per cent to US$908 million. China produced over 500 films in 2009, compared to just 100 in 2002. Urban China boasts of over 5,000 screens around the country, including 1,800 digital and 800 3-D screens. The number of movie screens around China are expected to reach 10,000 by the end of this year. Digital movies are fast becoming popular in China, particularly among the younger generation. China has the second largest number of digital screens, second only to the US.

Based on the MoU signed between the Film Bureau of China and the National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka, the Embassy seeks to obtain assistance from China to develop the local film industry. More focus is given to train the Sri Lankan technicians in the film industry in latest post-production technology available in China.

Sports as a bridge

The past four years have seen improved relations between China and Sri Lanka in terms of people-to-people contact. Sports had played an important role in further cementing the friendly ties between the two nations. In February 2008, under the guidance of President Rajapaksa, an Agreement on Sports Cooperation was signed between the Ministry of Sports and Public Recreation of Sri Lanka and the General Administration of Sports of China. The aim was to develop sports exchange and cooperation between the two countries and promote mutual understanding and traditional friendship between China and Sri Lanka.

Training sessions in swimming, Wushu and football for Sri Lankan sportspersons are now in the pipelines. The General Administration of Sport of China, in promoting friendly ties between the sport circles of the two countries, were to hold a special training program on swimming for 10 swimmers and six coaches of Sri Lanka this month. The Chinese Football Association has invited two Sri Lankan football coaches to China for a joint training program. The Chinese Wushu Association has invited 10 Wushu players from Sri Lanka to attend a short-term training session in Beijing.

A Sri Lankan team comprising 14 men and eight women athletes successfully participated at the Asian Athletic Championship held in Guangzhou, China in November 2009. Sri Lankan athlete Manjula Kumara was placed first in the men's high jump event at the Championship. This is the first ever gold won by a Sri Lankan athlete at the Asian Athletic Championship. Sri Lanka also participated at a number of events in the Beijing Summer Olympic Games held in 2008.

China is also planning to host the Asian Games 2010, the largest continental sporting event, in Guangzhou, South of China in October.

Asia Arts Festival

The 11th Asia Arts Festival of China, hosted by the Culture Ministry of China was held in Ordos city, Inner Mongolia in August 2009. With the theme "Auspicious prairie, blissful Asia", the Arts Festival aimed at displaying the miracle and glamour of Asian arts, promoting cultural, trade and tourism exchange and cooperation between the Asian nations.

Minister of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana led a delegation to the city of Ordos to take part in the Asian Cultural Ministerial Round Table Meetings on the sidelines of the Arts Festival.

At the meeting attended by Cultural Ministers and Heads of Delegations from 17 Asian countries, far-ranging and intensive discussions were held on opportunities, challenges and solutions for cultural development in the context of the global financial crisis. The Sri Lankan Minister of Culture explained the steps Sri Lanka has taken for continued development of culture under various departments in the Ministry with the patronage of the Mahinda Chinthana and stated that Sri Lanka's strategies may provide an insight for Cultural Resource Management for others in the face of adverse financial and political conditions.

Coordinated by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing, Sri Lankan traditional dancers dressed in colourful costumes and traditional masks performed a spectacular show of Kandyan and folk dances of Sri Lanka at the Asia Arts Festival while handicrafts of Sri Lanka including wooden masks, brass ware, Sesath and Hella and batik designs where displayed at the fourth Exhibition of Art works from foreign embassies in China, which was organised together with the main event.

Music expresses peace, beauty and friendship. In exhibiting these virtues the choristers' "Soul Sounds" of Sri Lankan and the "Shillong Chamber Choir" of India came together to stage a splendid performance at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, another very culturally significant venue, in June 2009, presenting an enchanting blend of traditional, Western and folk music to encapsulate the Chinese audience. The two choirs acted as cultural ambassadors in transcending boundaries with their ability to reach out to the souls of the Chinese people.

Visits during cultural pageant of Kandy

Over the past three years, high level Buddhist delegations have been visiting Sri Lanka to witness the Kandy Esala Perehera, the most colourful cultural pageant in the island.

The first visit was in 2007 which was initiated by President Rajapaksa during his State visit to China. President Rajapaksa was accompanied by a high-level Buddhist delegation from Sri Lanka in 2007 when they gifted a stone replica of the Samadhi Statue in Anuradhapura, to the Lingguang Temple. The President and Vice Presidents of the Chinese Buddhist Association led a 120 member Buddhist delegation to Sri Lanka during the Esala Perahera in August 2007. During this visit, the leaders of the Chinese Buddhist Association were presented the highest honour by the Malwatta and Asgiri Chapters of Sri Lanka and the delegation also held discussions with the President and Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.

The Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China who is also the Chief Abbot of the Lingguang Temple in Beijing, led a 102-member Buddhist delegation to Sri Lanka in August 2009. The visit was organised with a view to enhance the bilateral Buddhist Cultural relations of over thousand years between China and Sri Lanka. The delegation witnessed the spectacular "Randoli Pageant" and also toured the historic city of Kandy, Dambulla, Sigiriya rock fortress, Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, a Dutch Fort and a Catholic Church in Negombo.

The delegation also paid courtesy calls on President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Buddhist leaders of Sri Lanka. These visits were coordinated by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo and the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy.

National Performing Arts Theatre

Construction of a state-of-the-art performing arts theatre is now under way at the Nomands Grounds in Colombo. Funded by China, this Rs. 3,080 Million project will provide international level infrastructure facilities with sophisticated modern hi-tech facilities for professional and amateur artists, researchers, foreign troops and the public to perform, train, and engage in research. With 14,000 square metres of floor area, this theatre will serve as a hub for the performing artistes and audiences of the country by inspiring and supporting the creation, translation and presentation of the best performances of national and international repertoire.

History reveals that the Chinese Admiral Zheng He, who commanded seven great voyages through the South China Seas and the Indian Ocean between 1405 and 1433, erected a tablet in 1409 in Galle in commemoration of his second visit to Sri Lanka. The trilingual tablet discovered in 1911 has inscriptions in Chinese, Tamil and Arabic languages, suggesting that the Chinese were dealing with a cosmopolitan trading community at that time. The trilingual inscription is in the National Museum in Colombo and a copy can be found in the Maritime Museum in Galle.

The Municipal Council of Galle together with the Zheng He memorial Shipyard Cultural Management Company in Nanjing, China, is in the process of establishing a separate section in the Museum of Galle dedicated to Admiral Zheng He. The Chinese company will give suitable replicas to be kept in this Museum and Sri Lanka also plans to develop a replica of Zheng He's ship for the purpose of promoting tourism and culture between the two countries. In 2011, a celebration would be organised by the Municipality of Galle to commemorate the voyages of Zheng He and to celebrate the cultural cooperation between China and Sri Lanka.

Academic exchanges

In keeping with the vision of President Rajapaksa in making Sri Lanka a knowledge hub, and to encourage cooperative development in the field of education between China and Sri Lanka, the Embassy of Sri Lanka has launched several program to promote student exchanges between the two countries.

Based on the Memorandum of Understanding on Academic Exchange signed between the University of Kelaniya and the Beijing Foreign Studies University of China during President Rajapaksa's official visit to China in 2007, a batch of 16 Chinese undergraduates of the Beijing Foreign Studies University have successfully completed an advanced Sinhala language program conducted both in Beijing and in the University of Kelaniya of Sri Lanka.

Since then, Sinhala has become one of the popular foreign languages taken up by students in the Beijing Foreign Studies University. The second batch of 16 students will commence their Sinhala language programme in the Beijing Foreign Studies University in September 2010. In addition to this, several Chinese University lecturers have followed extensive Sinhala language learning programms in the University of Kelaniya within the past four years.

The MOU signed between the University of Kelaniya and the Beijing Foreign Studies University focus on exchange of faculty members and researchers, cooperation in the field of research, exchange of students, exchange of academic reports and information and publication.

During recent times, the number of scholarships provided by the Chinese Government to Sri Lankan students has also significantly increased. At present altogether 104 university students have got the opportunity to study in China.

The Chinese Government also provides a series of training programs for Sri Lankan government officials, scholars, journalists and entrepreneurs each year.

The first Confucius Institute in Sri Lanka was inaugurated in May 2007 at the University of Kelaniya with the assistance of Yunnan Nationalities University in China. Language professionals, advanced audio-visual aid and multimedia facilities are all provided by the Yunnan Nationalities University, giving an opportunity for the interested Sri Lankan students to learn Mandarin Chinese, the most widely spoken language in the world.

A Sister-School program between the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya of Colombo and the No. 80 High School in Beijing has also been successful, arranging student exchange program between China and Sri Lanka, strengthening cultural and academic ties between the two countries.

Sri Lanka's Royal College and the June 1st Primary School of Shi Jingshan District Beijing have also entered into a Sister School Friendship Program which had set the stage for many interactions among the students of the two countries. The students of Royal College had the opportunity to participate in the 2007 Beijing Friendship Summer Camp. Such arrangements for the younger generation have augured well in enhancing a greater affection among the students and strengthened education management and unique teaching methods.

Another Sister-School program between the Colombo International School and the Tianjin Yinghua International School is being discussed which would also focus on academic exchanges.

Embassy outreach programs

The Embassy has in upholding the views expressed by President Rajapaksa in putting people first, endeavoured to organise many outreach program for the expatriate community to celebrate festivals of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. These efforts served a dual purpose.

While striving to inculcate a feeling of oneness and enlisting the support of the expatriate community in development efforts of Sri Lanka it also acted as a catalyst to opening Sri Lanka's culture to Chinese friends and leveraged the capabilities to promote Sri Lanka in China. These events were flocked by the Chinese people in enjoying with the Sri Lanka community the distinctiveness of the day. Some such events celebrated were the Sinhala and Hindu New Year, emphasising on the rituals and practices of an auspicious nature. The Chinese friends were also treated to the traditional sweets and cuisine of Sri Lanka with national games also being organised.

Vesak was celebrated with the observance of Sil, participated by both Sri Lankan and Chinese Buddhists. Eminent Buddhist prelates Ven. Bandarawela Amithananda Thera and Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera led these Sil campaigns in Beijing. A special feature of these events were the involvement by the Chief Abbot and the monks by the Lingguan Temple of Beijing, in the ceremony where the Samadhi Buddha statue gifted by President Rajapaksa during his state visit to China in 2007, is placed in reverence for worship by the Chinese Buddhist community. The erection of a giant Vesak lantern with over 50 small lanterns, was a special feature which attracted the eye of many crowds due to its excellent craftsmanship. Christmas celebrations in Beijing were also conducted with the participation of the Chinese friends giving prominence to the religious connotations while retaining the spirit of festivity.

Migara, symbol of friendship

President Rajapaksa in 2007, gifted baby elephant Migara to the Beijing zoo as a symbol of friendship. From that day onwards, Migara has been nurtured by the Chinese people with love and care. The Embassy in signifying these ties has endeavoured to celebrate the baby elephant's birthday with much enthusiasm. The Chinese children who participated in these birthday celebrations together with Sri Lankan children cut a giant birthday cake for the baby elephant with the participation of well-wishers. Migara features as an important icon in Sri Lanka's cross-cultural relations. Often, a nation's culture is a fundamental part of its identity, and must therefore be considered as carefully as any other aspect of a new business venture. Such events have helped create a profound appreciation of the richness and the diversity of the Sri Lankan society and transcended barriers to bridge harmony with the Chinese people.

During the past three years the Mission had worked together with the Sri Lanka promotional agencies in organising a Sri Lanka cultural evening to coincide with the celebration of the national day of the country and the anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two nations. This event encapsulated the beauty of the country, promoting Sri Lanka as a trade, tourism and investment destination, while giving the chance to a very distinctive Chinese audience to enjoy Sri Lanka's cuisine and traditional and contemporary dance forms, immersing themselves deeply in Sri Lanka's culture and rituals.

Shanghai Expo 2010

The Sri Lanka participation at the Shanghai Expo 2010, is another symbolic gesture of promoting Sri Lanka - China cultural ties and strengthening flames of friendship that were lit many a decade before.

At over 2,000 square metres, the Sri Lanka National Pavilion is show casing the Sri Lankan culture, historical cities and products and cuisine. The maps, models, outdoor scenes, images and artistic creations presented in the pavilion show tangible heritages of Sri Lanka during its development and transformation.

Sri Lanka and China, under the able leadership of the two countries, had successfully taken their cultural relations to new heights. We have been able to step out of the traditional spheres and in to a wider spectrum of mutually beneficial partnership by further increasing friendly exchanges between the governments and people. The efforts made by both countries over the past four years have set the wheels in motion towards a brighter future for the people of Sri Lanka and China.