Faculty News

The HSK examination organized by the Confucius Institute of the University of Kelaniya was successfully conducted for the second time on 16th March 2024. The specialty of this examination was that candidates from outside the university were also allowed to apply for the examination. The Mock Examination for HSK Examination was held on the 10th of March 2024.

The examination was conducted successfully according to the rules and regulations imposed by Chinese Testing International under the supervision of invigilators. The examination halls were also well prepared according to the relevant Rules and regulations of Chinese Test International.

Due to the limitation of space in the examination halls and the facilities the limited amount candidates got the chance to face the examination. Therefore, about Two hundred and sixteen candidates from HSK Level 1 to HSK Level 5 appeared for the HSK Exam this time. The results of the candidates who appeared for the exam on the 16th of March 2024 will be released on the 16th of April. We hope that all of them will get good results.

The Certificate Course in Chinese Language, conducted by the Confucius Institute during the weekends is a specialized course in Chinese Language consisting of both local and Chinese lectures from which 24 batches have successfully acquired language skills and graduated. Therefore, it is with pride that we announce that this time the Certificates Awarding Ceremony of the 24th Batch along with the Inauguration Ceremony of the new batch; 25th Batch was held on 18th of March 2024 at the K-14 Auditorium, Faculty of Humanities. About fifty students completed the course successfully in December and nearly hundred students have been enrolled into the new batch which will be commenced on 23rd of March 2024.

The event was graced by the presence of Dr. Sudath Senarath, Dean, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya as the Chief Guest along with the Honorable Guests; Co-Directors of China and Sri Lanka, accordingly Dr. Wu Hongyuan and Dr. Jani Samarakoon who is also the Course Coordinator.

While Dr. Jani Samarakoon delivered a speech welcoming the students, and presenting the two major goals of the ceremony; one celebrating the achievements of the 24th Batch and the language goals that newly enrolled students can achieve through this prestigious course, Dr. Wu Hongyuan then emphasized the significance of learning Chinese as an International Language and brought out how Confucius Institute and its teachers and staff are working diligently to provide the best language learning experience for anyone who comes to the Confucius Institute with an interest of learning Chinese Language.

Then, Dr. Sudath Senerath made a point in his speech to congratulate the students who would be receiving the certificates and also he did not forget to welcome the new batch, giving them some valuable advice on the process of learning a foreign language, especially Chinese which is a tonal language. Furthermore, he praised the exceptional service of the Confucius Institute as one of the leading institutions in providing a wholesome cultural and social experience in Chinese Language for almost three decades and concluded his speech by wishing the bond of friendship between China and Sri Lanka to continue flourishing and strengthening.

Next, three students from the 24th Batch, Tharushi Dodangoda, Sandithi Dharmage and Rasanjali Fernand, accordingly made speeches of how effective this course has been in developing their language skills in Chinese and it was a special moment as they volunteered to speak in the event without any hesitation which on one hand shows how the students have worked hard and acquired the language skills in Chinese and on the other hand, it demonstrates how this Certificate Course in Chinese Language, specially how our teachers have made them confident in speaking up Chinese in front an audience though it is not their mother tongue.

Afterwards, the Certificates were distributed by the Chief Guests, the Honorable Guests and the lecturers, not only the certificates but also books related to Chinese language learning were gifted to all the students from both old and new batches, while special prizes were given to the top three students who had scored the best results in the Final Examination from Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Levels. Thereafter, the National Anthems of Sri Lanka and China were sung concluding the event officially and the group photo was taken as you can witness from the published photographs. Finally, we would like to congratulate all the students who received certificates today and also we warmly welcome all the newly enrolled students to embark on your Chinese language learning journey with us.

To all the new learners, we would like to wish best of luck and do not ever forget, “熟生巧 (shú néng shēng qiǎo) – Practice makes perfect!!!”

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese Lunar Calendar. On the 10th of February, the Chinese said goodbye to the Year of the Rabbit 2023 and welcomed the Year of the Dragon 2024. The Chinese New Year, Folk Culture Festival 2024 Organized by the Confucius Institute of Kelaniya University in conjunction with the Chinese Spring Festival was held in Dharmaloka Hall on the 06th of February 2024. The main purpose of this event was to give a live experience of the Chinese Spring Festival. More than 150, University Undergraduates and more than 100 Students from schools teaching the Chinese language participated in this event.

This Program was shaped by the beautiful dance, singing, drama elements, and Wushu performance of the University Students and School Students for almost three hours. The Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Kelaniya, Mr. Sudath Senarath, and the Head of the Department of Modern Languages at the University of Kelaniya, Ven. Prof. Nadalagamuwe Dhammadinna Thero was invited as the Chief guests. The program consisted of three sessions. After the Welcome speech of Co-Directors, Dr.Wu Hongyuan and Dr. Jani Samarakoon, the Chief Guest Ven. Prof. Nadalagamuwe Dhammadinna Thero was been invited to address the audience. Later Ms. Zhu Lin, a lecturer at the Confucius Institute gave a valuable lecture on the origin of the Chinese Spring Festival, its customs, and the celebration activities of the Chinese Spring Festival. As a very special part of the event, the students were allowed to learn how to make dumplings. The invited Chef, Ms. Yang, the Chinese lecturer Ms. Zhu Lin, and Dr. Jani Samarakoon taught to students the steps to make and wrap the dumplings according to the proper way.

In the Second session, while dumplings were steaming, students who participated in this event got the opportunity to practically learn Chinese paper-cutting art, and Chinese ancient calligraphy under the guidance of the Volunteer Chinese lecturers and local lecturers of the Confucius Institute and the Department of Modern Languages. Also, there were so many other fun games and a Raffle Draw for the students to participate in, and could be able to win gifts and money prizes with red envelopes.

The third session of the Program started at 2.00 P.M. The Chief Guest, Dr. Sudath Senerath delivered the speech. Next, the audience got the chance to taste delicious Chinese cultural foods including dumplings while watching the Cultural Entertainment events. The students of the Weekend Certificate Courses in Chinese Language conducted by the Confucius Institute at UOK, the School Students along with the University undergraduates showed their mesmerizing talents on the stage. In conclusion, the staff and lecturers of the Confucius Institute, the lecturers of the Department of Modern Languages, and the University students worked hard to organize this event.

Furthermore, this day was a great opportunity for both University Students and School Students to share their experiences, and a valuable opportunity to reflect on how important the China – Sri Lanka friendship is for the Education and the Cultural Exchange.

The sixth annual Humanities Undergraduate Research Symposium (HUG) 2023, organized by the Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, was successfully held on the 08th and 09th of February 2024. This year’s symposium focused on the theme of Fostering Innovation and Creativity: Bridging the Traditional and the Modern in Humanities Studies. Professor Rangika Halwathura of the University of Moratuwa conducted a very insightful keynote speech on the theme at the event.

The inauguration ceremony of the event was held on the 08th of February at the Sri Dharmaloka Convocation Hall. The event was graced by Senior Professor Nilanthi de Silva, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, Deans of Faculties, Registrar, Librarian, Heads of Departments of the Faculty of Humanities, academic and non-academic staff members of the Faculty of Humanities. Nearly 380 abstracts were presented at the symposium, and the presentation sessions were spread out over two days in 48 parallel sessions covering several tracks, including languages and literature, cultural studies, fine arts, language teaching, linguistics, religious studies, Vastu shastra, and education. It is certain that this year’s symposium undoubtedly set the stage for scholarly discussions that helped broaden the academic horizons of the Undergraduates of the Faculty of Humanities.