Mrs. Shanika Dissanayake, the Consul General of Sri Lanka in Guangzhou opened the Sri Lanka Section at the Guangzhou Public Library to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic ties between Sri Lanka and China. An exhibition of photographs showcasing this milestone with significant historical highlights of the strong bilateral partnership between Sri Lanka and China was also held alongside this event at the same venue.
Speaking to a cross section of invitees from the Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office, Guangdong Department of Culture, the diplomatic corp, members of the press, Library Association and academia, the Consul General stated that the Sri Lanka section will serve as an enduring legacy as it is a gift from the Consulate General of Sri Lanka to the people of Guangdong province.
The Sri Lanka section comprises a range of over 250 books based exclusively on works by Sri Lankan authors and is comprehensive in scope. Some of the Sri Lankan authors featured are Prof. Dr. Maithree Wickramasinghe, Dr. Nira Wickramasinghe, Dr. Senake Bandaranayake, Mr. Ismeth Raheem, Mr. Romesh Gunasekara, Mr. Michael Ondaatje, Mr. Nury Vittachi, Mrs. Sybil Wettasinghe, Ms. Prashani Rambukwella, Mr. Ashok Ferrey, Mr. Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne among a host of many.
Some of the authors in the collection are recipients of international literary awards, such as the Booker prize, Kiriyama Pacific Rim award, the Nikkei Asia Prize and Sri Lanka’s own home grown award the Gratiaen Award.
The Consulate is extremely grateful to the authors/Institutes for their unstinted support for the establishment of the Sri Lanka section by donating their books. They are (in random order), Mrs. Sybil Wettasinghe, the National Trust of Sri Lanka, Dr. Dinusha Panditaratne, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Sri Lanka Tea Board, Ministry of Science & Technology, the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies, LSR Sports Reizen and Ranfers International.
A replica of a Moonstone was gifted to Mr. Fang Jiazhong/ Head of the Public Library by the Consul General to be placed for public display at the Sri Lanka section.
The Guangzhou Public library is the largest Metropolitan library in Guangdong province and is frequented by approx. 15,000 visitors a day.
Consulate General of Sri Lanka
Guangzhou
23rd March 2017
