A three-day fair promoting Sri Lanka consumer goods and services will be held at Century Square on Nanjing Road until Sunday. From 3 pm to 10:30 pm, more than 28 Sri Lankan companies and exporters will be exhibiting the country's signature products like tea, jewels, gems and porcelain. Sri Lankan dancers and musicians will also perform to help draw in a crowd.

The purpose of the event is to get more Chinese people to visit Sri Lanka. An unprecedented number of Chinese people have visited the tear-shape island over the last three years due to a growth in income, according to Saranya Hasanthi Urugodawatte Dissanayake, the Consul General of Sri Lanka in Shanghai. More than 40,000 Chinese people have visited the country from January to May, up 139.6 percent from the same period in 2013. And Sri Lanka expects to welcome more than 100,000 Chinese visitors by the end of the year.

Sri Lanka is aiming for more by 2016, said Rumy Jauffer, the head of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau. The country hopes to attract 275,000 Chinese tourists that year. To achieve that goal, the Sri Lankan government will invest more in infrastructure construction.

"Sri Lanka is a small island nation, so it is very compact," Jauffer said. "You can experience many attractions within a short period of time and see all of the island's major sites in eight days. But at the same time, these attractions are very diverse."

There is no doubt that this Indian Ocean island's natural scenery speaks for itself. To begin with, it is endowed with nearly 1,600 kilometers of fine, golden beaches defined by coconut trees.

The country's southern coast has long been known to international travelers. One of the best-known beaches is Mirissa, which runs from east to west along the southern tip of Sri Lanka. It is great for swimming and other water sports because about 90 percent of the beach is sandy and rock free. Both ends of the beach, moreover, are ideal for snorkeling.

From December to April each year, Mirissa is also one of the best places in the world for whale watching. About 26 species of whales, plus the much-loved dolphin, migrate through the region. As many as 30 giant blue whales have been sighted in a single day from Mirissa's sandy shore.

Apart from beaches, Sri Lanka also has 12 national parks and 52 wildlife preserves, which are not only postcard-pretty, but are also home to 43 near-extinct species listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A vast number of elephants, bulls and deer reside in Yala National Park in southeastern Sri Lanka, the island's most popular national park.

Sri Lanka boasts holy sites for Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Christians throughout the country. The most famous is Sri Dalada Maligawa, or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, one of the country's holiest Buddhist temples. Legend has it that a tooth of Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, has been preserved there since the 16th century. Rituals are performed daily at dawn, midday and dusk, and a symbolic bathing of the Sacred Tooth Relic is held every Wednesday.

The area just outside the temple is where Asia's largest religious parade takes place from early August to mid-August each year. Thousands of traditional dancers and hundreds of elephants parade along the avenue to pay tribute to the Sacred Tooth Relic and pray for Sri Lanka and its people, attracting visitors from around the country and all over the world.

With 40 of the 85 varieties available in the world, Sri Lanka has the widest variety of precious stones among gem producing countries. It is dubbed the land of gems.

The country's sapphires are of the best quality. The 400-carat Blue Sapphire that adorns the British crown, and the star sapphire displayed at New York's American Museum of Natural History are from Sri Lanka. "Sri Lanka is definitely the world capital of sapphires, and the Chinese people who visit Sri Lanka are fascinated by them," Jauffer said.

Apart from that, there are rubies, cat's eyes, garnets, moonstones and many other dazzling stones.

Er Dongqiang, a well-known independent photographer from Shanghai, has thoroughly enjoyed each of his several visits to Sri Lanka. He said the Sri Lankan people have left a deep impression on him.

"They are enthusiastic and sincere, which immediately made me feel at home. Through talking to the aboriginal people, I discovered that they have a spontaneous awe, respect and gratitude for the natural world that has granted them such rich resources," Er said.

"What Sri Lanka offers to the world is a land of smiling faces and hospitality," said Dissanayake the Consul General.

Rumy Jauffer, head of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (middle) and Saranya Hasanthi Urugodawatte Dissanayake, the Consul General of Sri Lanka in Shanghai (right) at a press conference Tuesday

Photo: Liao Fangzhou/GT

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

 

Sri Lanka's fine, golden beaches are one of its major attractions.

Photos: CFP