On December 1st, Ambassador Qi Zhenhong led a delegation to Sri Chandananda Buddhist College in Kandy city of Sri Lanka to award "Chinese Ambassador Scholarships" to the students. Over 300 people attended the ceremony, including Most Venerable Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Mahanayake Thero of Asgiriya Chapter, Most Venerable Doctor Godagama Mangala Nayaka Thero the founder and managing director of the College, Venerable Godagama Dhammakiththi Thero Principal of Sri Chandananda Buddhist College, Ms. Ji Lili Counselor of the Chinese Embassy, scholarship recipients and teacher representatives.

Most Venerable Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Mahanayake Thero of Asgiriya Chapter expressed that the friendship between Sri Lanka and China has a long history, and Buddhist exchanges have been close and friendly. He expressed gratitude for the long-standing selfless assistance from the Chinese government to Sri Lanka, particularly its support for education.

Most Venerable Doctor Godagama Mangala Nayaka Thero stated that China is an old friend of Sri Lanka and has further increased its support for Sri Lankan education in recent years. This includes providing free school uniforms fabrics, nutritious lunches, and smart classrooms for Sri Lankan students, as well as scholarships for students studying in China. The award ceremony of the "Chinese Ambassador Scholarships" today once again fully demonstrates the deep friendship between Sri Lanka and China, for which all the teachers and students are deeply grateful.

Ambassador Qi stated that the Buddhist connection between China and Sri Lanka has lasted for thousands of years, and Buddhism has closely connected the two countries. As a good friend and partner of Sri Lanka, the Chinese government and people will continue to provide assistance to Sri Lanka to be best of their capacity. He hoped that the "Chinese Ambassador Scholarship" would be of help to the students' studies and wished them all the best in their academic pursuits.

After the award ceremony, Ambassador Qi and his delegation also donated stationery to the students. The event was widely reported by local media.

Sri Chandananda Buddhist College was founded and funded by most venerable thero of the Asgiriya Chapter of Sri Lankan Buddhism in early 2006. It adopts the Sri Lankan national education curriculum and has over 5,000 students, making it quite influential in Kandy city of Sri Lanka.