The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing won the Most Creative Award at the 2017 Diplomat National Costume Competition organised by the Diplomat Magazine in China recently.
The staff of the Embassy of Sri Lanka and their family members participated in the competition as models showcasing different types of Sri Lankan national dresses including the traditional Kandyan Mul Anduma costume. Sri Lankan costumes exhibited at the competition were made with hand-loom and batik fabrics. Since Sri Lanka is famous for gems, tea, and wildlife, the costumes at the last segment of the competition were designed to symbolize gems, tea and wildlife.
The designs and script for the description of different national dresses were prepared by Inoka Weerasinghe, Second Secretary of the Embassy. A dancing item depicting Queen Kuweni was featured at the show. The long history of the Sri Lankan weaving industry and costume-making, as illustrated in the legend of Queen Kuweni, who was spinning cotton at the time of Prince Vijaya’s arrival in the country, was highlighted at a media interview that followed the costume display.