HIST Delegation visits Sri Lanka

Prof. Guo Huadong, Director General of AIR and Director of HIST, was invited by the Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies (ACCIMT) of Sri Lanka to deliver the 7th annual Arthur C Clarke Memorial Lecture. Arthur C Clarke, a science fiction writer and a visionary who foresaw the emergence of interplanetary communications and proposed a satellite communications system as early as 1945 moved to Sri Lanka in 1956 and lived there till his death on 19 March 2008. Prof. Guo delivered his talk at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), Colombo, at 1700 hrs on 19 March 2013. BMICH is a longstanding symbol of China-Sri Lanka friendship; it was constructed by Chinese engineers in the early 1970s as a gift from the Chinese Government to Sri Lanka.

In his talk, under the title “China’s Earth Observation Systems and Applications” Prof. Guo covered historical development and current state of earth observation technologies both in the world and in China. He described in detail China’s contribution towards developing satellite, air and ground-based sensing technologies, data receiving stations and software and analytical tools. Prof. Guo outlined the work of AIR to support earth observations research and technology development in globally important areas work such as disaster mitigation, improving agricultural productivity and the conservation of cultural and natural heritage.

He highlighted emerging opportunities for international co-operation in the application of earth observation technologies for development and conservation under China’s strategic Silk Road initiative. He pointed out that Sri Lanka has been an important place along China’s ancient Marine Silk Road which extended from China’s eastern coast along coastal nations of Southeast and South Asia to the Mediterranean and the east coast of Africa. He called for close collaboration between China and Sri Lanka on a variety of thematic areas under China’s Marine Silk Road initiative during the next decade, including activities that could be designed, developed and implemented under the ACCIMT-HIST MOU signed in June 2014. Around 300 people representing ACCIMT, the academic community, senior officials from a number of Government Ministries and Departments as well as students and the general public listened to Prof. Guo’s talk with considerable interest.

During the morning on 20th March 2015, Prof. Guo, Mr. Hong Tianhua, Executive Deputy Director of HIST and Prof. Natarajan Ishwaran, State Recruited Expert of China at HIST participated in a roundtable organized by Engineer Sanath Pennawennage, Director General of ACCIMT and his staff with the participation of representatives from the Sri Lankan Departments of Archaeology, Forests and Wildlife. A number of potential areas for development of projects for implementation under the ACCIMT/HIST MOU were discussed. The representatives of the Departments of Archaeology, Forests and Wildlife agreed to submit reports to ACCIMT before mid-April 2015 outlining their ideas and priorities for development of projects under the ACCIMT/HIST MOU. The Director General of ACCIMT, based on these reports and other potential initiatives that would have nation-wide benefits which have been discussed between ACCIMT and HIST will propose a list of activities to be implemented under the MOU during 2015 and 2016.

Prof. Guo returned to Beijing on 21st March 2015. Mr. Hong and Prof. Ishwaran undertook a site-visit to the sacred city of Anuradhapura in the northwestern Province of Sri Lanka. Anuradhapura, together with the ancient cities of Polonnaruwa and Kandy constituted the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka which received significant technical and financial support from UNESCO in the 1980s. All three sites are now World Heritage. Mr. Hong and Prof. Ishwaran visited Jetawanaramaya and Abhayagiri stupas which are entirely made of bricks; Jetawanaramaya is the tallest brick structure in the world constructed during the early part of the Christian era. They also visited other sites, monuments and man-made lakes in the area, both within and outside of the World Heritage site of Anuradhapura to obtain a glimpse into the impressive civilization dating back as far as 4th century B.C. that was centered on Anuradhapura. The visit provided an understanding and will help to identify potential projects that could be developed in Anuradhapura and its surrounding landscape using space technologies for the conservation, management, monitoring and presentation of this important World Heritage site.

Mr. Hong and Prof. Ishwaran returned to Beijing on 23rd March 2015. A plan for activities for the implementation of actions under the ACCIMT/HIST MOU is expected to be agreed upon in the coming months and specific activities initiated prior to the international conference on the Marine Silk Road due to be convened in Sanya, Hainan, China in November 2015. A Sri Lankan delegation comprising representatives from ACCIMT and other Government Ministries and Departments is expected to participate in that international conference.

Guo Huadong lamped candle tree according to Sri Lanka customs

Guo Huadong lamped candle tree according to Sri Lanka customs

Guo Huadong made his report

Guo Huadong made his report



international conference