“To the south is a solitary hill which is of great height and which is covered with forest and jungle. Beautiful flowers and springs of pure water cover its sides and flow through its hollows.”
——Xuanzang（also known as "Tang Monk", 646 AD), A Record of the West Compiled During the Tang Dynasty
Editor's Note:
As described in Xuanzangs works, Sri Lanka is a beautiful and fascinating country. China - Sri Lanka friendship can date back to centuries ago. To explore new possibilities of collaboration, a delegation led by Prof. Chen Weiying (Vice Dean of Global Affairs, International School of Medicine, Zhejiang University) paid a visit to Sri Lanka from April 26th to 30th.
Prof. Chen Weiying was interviewed on her 4-day tour to Colombo.
Q 1: Professor Chen, what is your first impression of Sri Lanka?
A1: Blessed with lush evergreen trees and lucid water, Sri Lanka is so gorgeous. The Sri Lankan people are friendly and hospitable by nature. Whomever I reached out responded positively and received us warmly.
Q2: Professor Chen, it is well known that ZJU-ISMers are committed to providing excellent medical education. Could you please share the collaborative outcomes with Sri Lankan educational sector?
A2: The outcomes were quite fruitful.
We met with the Minister of Education, His Hon. Dr. Susil Premajayantha, and held discussions on China - Sri Lanka cooperation, Chinese language training, educational reform in Sri Lanka and their initiative of building a knowledge hub. Both sides reached a preliminary consensus on future collaboration in joint educational programs.
During the meeting with the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Colombo University Prof. Vajira Dissanayake (also the President of the Sri Lanka Medical Council), we exchanged opinions on cultivating Sri Lankan MBBS students studying in China and the ERPM (Examination to Register to Practise Medicine). We agreed that educational quality should be prioritized and clinical exposure along with a human touch be strengthened. The meeting led to an in-depth collaboration in training future Sri Lankan doctors to serve the population locally and beyond. We are ready to admit more excellent Sri Lankan high school students and offer value-added education to them.
On a related note, the eco-friendly campus of NSBM Green University was refreshing, and provided us with new ideas on campus design and sustainability.
The tours to the two high schools, that is, Rotary Institute of Higher Education and Siyochem Educational Institute, allowed me to connect with the young students and hear their inner voices. I was happy to see how enthusiastic they were in pursuing their passions.
Q3: Professor Chen, we heard about your dedication to advancing the development of ZJU4H (The Fouth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine). Have you got any new ideas on collaboration with Sri Lankan hospitals?
A3: The visits to the three hospitals, namely Sri Lanka National Hospital, Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children and Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital, helped me gain a better understanding of the healthcare conditions in Sri Lanka. I was moved by the frontline practitioners’ devotion to providing compassionate care to the population in Colombo and beyond, which made me more determined to enhance the ties with Sri Lankan healthcare sector. Moreover, the China-aided outpatient building of Sri Lanka National Hospital was one of the highlights of the visit and gave me the chance to see China-Sri Lanka friendship up close. As some Sri Lankan hospitals have many strengths in medical areas like tropical medicine, we will take the first step by initiating electives program with them. Through this program, medical students will have the chance to experience different health systems
Q4: Professor Chen, what is your overall plan for collaborating with Sri Lanka?
A4: We advocate collaboration with Sri Lankan universities and hospitals in fields of student and faculty mobility, joint research activities, academic exchanges and special short-term academic programs.
Q5: Professor Chen, is there a local important figure who impressed you the most?
A5: I was deeply impressed by the elegance and wisdom of Dr. Kshanika Hirumburegama (the Former Vice Chancellor of Colombo University & Former Ambassador to France). Her legendary achievements in fields of academic research, education, and politics broadened my scope and gave me many insights. Her experience of acting as the first lady Chairperson of the University Grants Commission in Sri Lanka was very encouraging. I invited her to speak at our convocation, and she happily accepted.
All in all, I really appreciate this opportunity of meeting face to face with the colleagues and will try to enhance the ties with Sri Lankan educational, medical as well as academic sectors. I am looking forward to working closely with them to bring the collaboration to the next level.
Written by: Yang Wenqiang
Edited by: Chen Weiying
