On January 23, 2025, the “Happy Chinese New Year·The Colombo Port City Chinese Culture Night” was successfully held. Charge d'affaires ad interim Zhu Yanwei attended the event and delivered a speech. Over 200 participants, including officials from diplomatic corps, relevant Sri Lankan government departments, business representatives, overseas Chinese, Chinese enterprises in Sri Lanka, and members of major Chinese and international media, took part in the celebration.
Zhu said that China-Sri Lanka cultural cooperation had a long history and cultural exchanges had become a new highlight of bilateral relations. During President Dissanayake's recent visit to China, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to deepening their strategic cooperative partnership and building a China-Sri Lanka community with a shared future. Zhu expressed China's hope that, leveraging the Colombo Port City Economic Zone, bilateral cooperation could further expand, bringing greater benefits to the Sri Lankan people.
The evening featured performances by artists showcasing martial arts, instrumental music, and traditional Chinese classical dances. Earlier that afternoon, a sub-event was held at the Port City Duty-Free Store, featuring demonstrations of Chinese cultural arts such as paper cutting, calligraphy, and lacquered fan craftsmanship, as well as interactive exchanges on intangible cultural heritage techniques. This event was part of the “Happy Chinese New Year-Chinese Culture Festival” organized by the Chinese Embassy, which began on January 19. The festival includes a series of activities including cultural performances and Chinese food festival.