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Chinese ‘Dragon Boat Festival’ celebrated in Colombo (Pics)

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The Chinese ‘Dragon Boat Festival’ or the ‘Duanwu’ festival, was celebrated at the Port City clubhouse in Colombo yesterday evening (18).

Chinese expats as well as Sri Lankans joined the event, which also featured several cultural performances.

The ribbon cutting by the Chinese ambassador in Sri Lanka – Mr. Qi Zhenhong, signified the commencement of the Dragon Boat racing. Several instances of the event are shown below.

Visitors were also served ‘Zongzi’, a special triangular rice dumpling parceled in a leaf, which is traditionally eaten during the ‘Duanwu’ festival. Zongzi fillings vary across China, with Northerners preferring sweet fillings like bean paste or dates, while Southerners prefer more savoury fillings.

Duanwu usually falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. “Duan” means beginning while “Wu” means five, referring to the fifth month.

Check out the history of the ‘Duanwu’ festival and how it is celebrated in modern China.

(Pics : Shanika Jayasekara)

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2 new ambassadors present credentials to President AKD

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Two newly appointed Ambassadors to Sri Lanka presented their credentials to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat today (Nov. 07).

The two new envoys, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt –  Mr. Adel Ibrahim and Ambassador of Japan – Mr. Isomata Akio also paid courtesy calls on the President following the presentation of credentials.

(President’s Media Division)

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Model village in Monaragala built with Indian grants, handed over (Pics)

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High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka H.E Santosh Jha and Secretary, Ministry of Rural and Urban Development, Housing and Construction, Mr. Atapattu jointly inaugurated and handed over Thiththavelkiwla Model Village in Monaragala to the 24 beneficiary families on Nov. 04.

District Secretary, Monaragala; Chairman, National Housing Development Authority; officials from the Ministry of Rural and Urban Development, Housing and Construction of Sri Lanka, Uva Provincial Council and Monaragala District Administration, among others attended the event.
The Model Village Housing Project is being implemented in all 25 districts of the island jointly with the Ministry of Rural and Urban Development, Housing and Construction of Sri Lanka with grant support from the Government of India. A Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of India and the Government of Sri Lanka was signed for the project in October 2017. The project encompasses housing facilities for 600 low-income families of Sri Lanka, with a model village each consisting of 24 houses per district for families selected by the District Housing Committees.

Model villages under the project have earlier been inaugurated and handed over in 11 districts: Batticaloa, Vavuniya, Jaffna, Kandy, Gampaha, Anuradhapura, Badulla, Matale, Puttalam, Colombo and Trincomalee. The project progress is over 96 % and the remaining model villages too are expected to be inaugurated and handed over to the beneficiaries soon.

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China to provide full school uniform requirement for 2025 (Pics)

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The Chinese embassy in Colombo reached another step in providing scholarships for children from low-income families.

Accordingly, Chinese Ambassador Scholarships for 100 students at the Badulla Keppitipola Maha Vidyalaya (National School) was handed over on Nov. 01, with the embassy pledging Rs. 2.5 million for the cause.

Speaking at the event, Chinese Ambassador – Mr. Qi Zhenhong said that the scholarship programme, which began in 2016, is now active in over 20 schools across Sri Lanka.

Noting that China donated 70% of the required school uniform material for Sri Lankan students in 2023, and 80% in 2024, the ambassador said that they hope to provide the full requirement of school uniform materiel for the 2025 academic year.

“In the 2025 academic year, we will donate 100% of the fabric for school uniforms, totaling 11.82 million meters, worth approximately 5.2 billion rupees, which will be shipped to Colombo in three batches before the end of this year,” he said.

 The ambassador added : “In addition, the Chinese government, local governments, and non-governmental organizations have donated schoolbags, stationery, and other learning materials to thousands of students in remote areas, and plan to build 900 smart classrooms in 500 schools across Sri Lanka in the next few years, benefiting over 1 million students.”

Ambassador Qi expressed that China is not only a true friend but also a reliable partner of Sri Lanka, which is moving towards a new era under the strong leadership of current President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Embassy staff, Uva Province Education officials as well as students, staff and alumni of the school attended the event.

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