SRI LANKA'S CHINESE CONNECTION

“We can send our soldiers to China for training” 

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka , January 18, 2013

Following text [of course, excluding the images and accompanying  narrations] is a gleaning from the book titled “A 16th Century Clash Of Civilizations. The Portuguese Presence in Sri Lanka” written by illustrious historian Dr. Susantha Goonatilake of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Hero of Modern Sri Lanka escorted by Sri Lanka Mounted Police as he arrives at the opening of  Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Sea Port in Hambantota, Ruhuna, Sri Lanka built with Chinese Aid, 

At least from about the 1st century BC, Sri Lanka was known to China, the Chinese calling it Seng-Kia-lo (Simhala = The Kingdom of Lions) or Seih-lan (Simhale) and Simhaladipa (Sri Lanka). The Atthakatha, the Sinhalese Pali texts (before the fifth century CE) refer to travel between Sri Lanka and China. [92]

Mahinda Rajapakse International Airport is being built by Chinese Aid 

First ever touchdown on 18th March 2013 at HIA Mattala Rajapakse Int'l Airport [MRIA], a gift from China.

Several travels of Sinhalese to China are described in Chinese records. One of the first embassies from Sri Lanka to China is mentioned in the History of the Leangs.[93] The Kao-seng-choan written in 519 CE adds, regarding this mission: ‘Formally the king of Sri Lanka learning of Hiao-ou-it (373-396 CE) of the Tsin Dinah Cetti sent the Samanera Tan-mol-iuen.[94] In the beginning of the period, I-hi (405-408 CE) of the Tsin, a statue of jade and ten packages of writings were sent by the Sri Lanka king. [95] An interesting travel was in 429 CE when Sinhalese nuns went to China to establish the Buddhist nun order there. This was very probably the longest recorded travel of women anywhere until then. In 428 CE the Sri Lanka king sent an ivory statue to the emperor. [96] The Sinhalese monk Sanghavaraman went to China in 431 CE while in 456 CE five Sinhalese monks were sent by the Sinhala King on an Embassy to the Emperor of China. These travels were by the sea route.

Nelum Pokuna (Lotus Pond) Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre, a gift from China to Sri Lanka. Design of the building was inspired by an ancient royal bathing pond called Nelum Pokuna [Lotus Pond] in the the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Polonnaruwa, a Sri Lanka Holidays tourist attraction.

Nelum The stone cut bathing Pond called Nelum Pokuna [Lotus bath] [12th century ] at Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka  takes    the form of an eight pettaled blossoming lotus flower. Photo Credit: The Bridgeman Art Library

But via the overland route through India and Tibet in 460 CE, six Sinhala monks reached China. The author of the epic Sanskrit poem Janakiharana, the Sinhala poet Kumaradasa (6th century CE), describes the Chinese Dragon image. [97] One of the most important Sinhalese monks to China was Nandi (620-690 CE) who travelled widely in both India and China and took 1,500 Buddhist texts to China. At the beginning of the period, Tien-Pao (742 CE) sent the king of Sri Lanka, Silamegha, an ambassador twice with presents that included pearls, filigreed gold, ivory and gems for necklaces.[98]

One of the most important  8th century connections occurred in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE), when the monk Amoghavajra (704-774 CE) reached China taking 500 key tantra texts from Anuradhapura. [99] Tang ceramics have been found in Sri Lanka. [100] The Tang Dynasty with its capital Chang’an (present-day Xi’an) was then considered the high point of Chinese civilization. Chang’an was then most populated city in the world and had a highly sophisticated cosmopolitan culture.
Several biographies were written on the above Amoghavajra and his preceptor Vajrabodhi especially by their disciples. According to one biography, Amoghavajra was a Sinhalese, according to others, from India. But whatever his origins, his main influence was from the Abhayagiri monastery in Sri Lanka where 746 CE, In his search for knowledge, he spent more time in India. Vajrabodhi himself had earlier stayed for half a year at the Abhayagiri. The five hundred key Yoga Tantra texts Amoghavajra collected from Sri Lanka for the use of the imperial Chinese court helped him and his preceptor Vajrabodhi start an important tradition of thought which by 805 CE had spread to Java and Japan, surviving in Japan as the Singon sect. They translated a large number of tantric tests and established the Vajrayana School. Both Vjarabodhi and Amoghavajra were very influential in the most important seat of power in then world. They minister to Chinese emperors, other members of Chinese royalty, politicians, and generals. [101]

Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall  (BMICH), a gift from China 

In the opposite direction, Fa Hsien, the Chinese Buddhist monk, came to Sri Lanka in the 5th century CE staying for a couple of years in Abhayagiri monastery, collecting Buddhist manuscripts. Indicating the international contacts at the time, he records seeing a Chinese fan being offered to a temple at Anuradhapura, the Sri Lankan capital. This he says brought tears to his eyes, because this was the first time after he came to South Asia, he had seen a Chinese artifact. [102] It is interesting to note that the ship “a great merchant ship” he took from Sri Lanka on his return could carry 200 passengers.[103] Several other Chinese monks visiting Sri Lanka are noted by I-tsing (635-712 CE). Among these Chinese were Ming-yuen, Tche-tan-louc-t’i-p’ous, Tche-ngan, Hoei-yen, Ta-tcheng-teng and I-hiuen. The last eventually settled down in Sri Lanka. [104] According to the Kavyasekera, a significant number of Chinese soldiers were in the service of King Pararakrabahu the second and King Vijaybahu the second (1235-1270 CE). [105]

An indicator of the ship travel by Sinhalese is seen by the observation of the Chinese author Li Chao that in the middle of the T’ang period (618-907 CE), ‘The ships from the Lion Kingdom (Simhala-Sri Lanka) were the largest [coming to China], with stairways for loading and unloading which are several tens of feet in height. [106] The Chinese Buddhist monk Hsuan Yin writing of ships existing at the same period referred to “large [ships] 200 feet long that could hold six to seven hundred (600-700) men”. Clearly if the Sinhalese ships were the largest ships at that period, then this would be their size. [107] Sinhalese expertise in maritime matters is referred to once again in an external source, in a 13th century Egyptian document when the Sri Lankan King at the time, Bhuvenakabahu the First (1272-84 CE) offers to build 20 vessels yearly for the Egyptian Sultan.[108] Even at the coming of the Portuguese, this naval presence existed. Thome Pires, a Portuguese assigned to India, writing in around 1512-15 CE says that Sri Lanka has ships of its own that trade up to Quilon, Bengal and Cmbay [109]

This travel from and to Sri Lanka was not only for purposes of trade, but also related to the realm of ideas. In this traffic, Buddhist philosophy and practice played an important part. Travellers from as far away as China came to Sri Lanka for Buddhist texts, and Sinhalese in turn travelled to these countries. Many records exist on such travel. There are also numerous other records of Sinhalese going to South Asia, Southwest Asia and China as visitor from these legions’ coming to Sri Lanka.

Above postage stamp commemorate historical Sri Lanka-China Rice for Rubber trade pact made in 1952 during a period. At that time China was unable to obtain rubber as a result of prohibition of rubber exports from Malaya following a U.N. resolution preventing the sale of rubber to China. Thus China wanted rubber as badly as Sri Lanka wanted rice. 

Footnotes:
[92] Weerasinghe, S. G. M., A History of the Cultural Relations Between Sri Lanka & China: An aspect of the Silk Route, The Central Cultural Fund, 1995, Colombo. p 20
[93] Seneviratne, John, “Wan Hiuen Tse’s Mission to India” Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. XXIV, pp 77-123
[94] ibid  [95] ibid  [96] ibid
[97] Weerasinghe, S. G. M., A History of the Cultural Relations Between Sri Lanka & China; An aspect of the Silk Route, The Central Cultural Fund, 1995, Colombo. Page xiv
[98] Seneviratne, John, “Wan Hiuen Tse’s Mission to India” Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. XXIV, pp 77-123
[99] Weerasinghe, S. G. M., A History of the Cultural Relations Between Sri Lanka & China; An aspect of the Silk Route, The Central Cultural Fund, 1995, Colombo. pp 25-27
[100] Carswell, J., 1999. “China and the Middle East”, Oriental Art Magazine, 45 (1): 2-14
[101] Sundbeg, J., “The wilderness monks of the Abhayagirivihara and the  origins of Sino-Javanese esoteric Buddhism’, Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, 160 (2004), no: 1 Leiden, pp 95-123
[102] Beal, Samuel, Travels Of Fah-Hian And Sung-Yun, Buddhist Pilgrims, China to India (400 A.D and 518 A.D.), London, Trubner and Co.,60, Paternoster Row. 1869, p152
[103] Beal, Samuel (1993), Travels Of Fah-Hian And Sung-Yun, Buddhist Pilgrims, China to India, Asian Educational Services New Delhi, p 166
[104] Weerasinghe, S. G. M., A History of the Cultural Relations Between Sri Lanka & China; An aspect of the Silk Route, The Central Cultural Fund, 1995, Colombo. pp 25-26
[105] Bopearachchi, Osmund, Weerakkody, D. P.M., Origin, evolution, and circulation of foreign coins in the Indian Ocean New Delhi: Manohar, 1998, p 191
[106] ] Weerasinghe, S. G. M., A History of the Cultural Relations Between Sri Lanka & China; An aspect of the Silk Route, The Central Cultural Fund, 1995, Colombo. p 35
[107] Gungwu, Wang, The Nanhai trade: early Chinese trade in the South China Sea, Singapore: Eastern Universities Press, 2003 originally published; Kula Lumpur: Malaysian branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1958, p120
[108] Codrington, H. W., “ A Sinhalese Embassy to Egypt” Jouranl of the Royal Asiatic Society, Ceylon Branch, Volume XXVIII, No. 72, 82-85
[109] Pires, Thome, The Suma oriental of Thome Pires: an account of the East, from the Red Sea to Japan, written in Malacca and India in 1512-1515, Vol 1 and 2 London: Hakluyt Society, 1944, p86
UNQUOTE
A 16th Century Clash Of Civilizations. The Portuguese Presence in Sri Lanka by Susantha Goonatilake.
ISBN 978-955-665-129-4