Students demonstrate calligraphy works at the "Chinese Culture Meets Students of Sri Lanka" event held in Malabe, Sri Lanka, June 25, 2024. (Xinhua/Wu Yue)

Nineteen-year-old Sri Lankan boy Senuda Sapumal was carefully watching the Chinese calligraphy demonstrated by his Chinese teacher, dipping his brush in ink cautiously, and succeeded in writing two large Chinese characters on the paper: "Friendship." Around him, dozens of students of similar age observed attentively and were eager to try.

"Chinese Culture Meets Students of Sri Lanka," hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, was held on Tuesday at the Sri Lanka Boys' Model School in Malabe. Under the guidance of Chinese teachers, the Sri Lankan youths born after the year of 2000, who were also called Generation Z, immersed themselves in Chinese traditional culture by practicing calligraphy, learning paper-cutting, and training in martial arts.

"I've seen Chinese kung fu movies and Chinese chopsticks in restaurants, but this is my first time experiencing Chinese culture by myself. It is amazing!" Sapumal proudly held up his calligraphy work and posed for a photo to capture the exciting moment.

The students here are no strangers to China. Sapumal recalled that his teacher told them their school uniforms were donated by China. "China, 'Friendship,'" he said.

On the other side of the classroom, a long display table was filled with Chinese crafts: Peking opera masks, enamel vases, fan screens, and craft tea sets. Many students paused in curiosity and watched them.

"What do the masks signify?" "During which festival do you hang lanterns?" "Which Chinese zodiac sign belong to me?" The students eagerly asked questions. Upon receiving answers, several senior students quickly pulled out photos from their phones to show traditional Sri Lankan masks and paper lanterns from the local Vesak festival. "It turns out Chinese culture is very similar to ours. It feels like China is closer to us now," said the students.

Zhang Min, a teacher at the Bandaranaike Center for International Studies in Sri Lanka, said that the serial events of "Chinese Culture Meets Students of Sri Lanka" will be brought to 11 primary and secondary schools in Sri Lanka within six months, and the current program is the third one.

"I teach Sri Lankan students Chinese paper cutting. Whenever the children open their cut-out designs, their expressions of surprise are like a result of 'a magic moment.' For many times, some students told me they would hang the paper-cuts on their windows at home to share the joy with their families. I hope that such immersive experiences will plant seeds of Chinese culture in the hearts of local students, seeing them gradually taking root and thriving."

"I am about to enter university and I'm preparing to study architecture in China. That's what I have always dreamed of," said Sapumal. 

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