Understanding Current Situation of the New Environment
（Take Sri Lanka as Example）
I. Country profiles
A. Administrative area: Sri Lanka is constituted with 9 provinces and 25 counties. Western province, central province, southern province, north western province, north central province, eastern province, Uva province and Sabaragamuwa province.
B. Economy: agriculture is the main part of Sri Lanka’s economy and the Ceylon tea is also the most important good in export. Sri Lanka is one of three largest tea-producing counties, therefore, its economy is greatly influenced by the situation of the tea. The economy continues to grow fastly during the liberalization. The greatest advantage of Sri Lanka is in its mining industry and geographic position. Sri Lanka is rich on gems and is been called “gem island” which is the 5th gem-producing county.
C. Tourism: tourism is an important part of Sri Lanka’s economy. Most tourists come from Europe, India, east southern Asia countries, etc.
D. Demographics: Sri Lanka is a country which has 20,277,597 people, and an annual population growth rate of 0.73%.
E. Ethnic composition: Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic country，such as Singhalese（74.9%）Tamil（15.4%）Moore（9.2%）others（0.5%）
F. Religion：most of residents of Sri Lanka have religion，among whom，there are the 76.7% believe in Buddhism， the 7.9% believe in Hindu，and the 8.5% believe in Islam，the 6.9% believe in Christianism. Religion has a very special position and holy meaning，especially the Buddhism，the National Religion，influence every aspects of the social living .Therefore we need to respect their religion and habits.
G. Language: Sinhalese and Tamil are the official language and national language in Sri Lanka. English is common in upper classes of society.
H. Customs (Do in Rome as Rome does without becoming the Rome. We need to build a good foundation when we contact people.)
1. Residents of Sri Lanka are Buddhist and many customs have relations with the Buddhism.
When monks are talking, whether they are standing or sitting, local people will try to slightly lower than the head of monks.
Don’t pass something to the Buddhist monks and believers through left hand.
In a tour to the Buddhist temple, don’t step, cross, riding and other offensive action to the statues of Buddha, and when we are going into the temple, we need to be barefoot, do not wear shoes and socks. Do not wear a hat, do not wear too exposed and short pants are been forbidden. (It is known that many tourists are repatriated back to their own countries because of the violation of this provision.)
Most of Temple monks are also proficient in medicine, especially are of deep research of traditional Chinese medicine and herbs. Therefore, many patients visit temples to seek medical attention.
Rich people have a habit to invite the monks for meal. In order to treat the monk, the big thing they can also put aside, including business, which has to be rescheduled.
2. Sri Lankas eat with the thumb, index finger and middle finger of right hand.
3. When you send a gift to locals not flowers. Using the right hand eat meals and receive gifts.
4. Sri Lanka people’s Wedding is quite a special. Here we take Sinhalese weeding as example. Both men and women will take the betrothal, after fixing the marriage, they will exchange rings. In the wedding day, the brother in law will wash the groom’s feet, fasten the “same-heart knot” and break the coconut and other practices. But the real wedding ceremony will be occurred in the bride’s wedding ceremony stage, brides will fasten the colorful clothes around the waist of the groom, after the groom wear the fish-shape issuer. In the central mountainous area of Sri Lanka, there is still polyandry. Sinhalese community is constituted by small family units. They implement marriage within the caste, mostly parents arranged. Customary marriage more interesting, usually the “female married man” with the woman giving money.
5. Sri Lankas treat guests with a habit of offering the milk tea. Because milk tea is their traditional national drinks. They also generally banquet guests a glass of cold water. If you do not want to drink water, you need to be polite and gently touch about the cup, then the owner will understand what you meaning. Eating habits are usually placed in front of people two bowls of water per person, for wash their hands with clean water, cold water for drinking.
6. They usually invite VIPs to come and strike a match when they lay the foundation stone, opening shops or religious ceremonies for lighting the wick of a root, in order to celebrate. They consider lighting oil lamps symbolize the cause of prosperity and happiness.
7. They are very fond of “Orchid” and respect Orchid as the national flower, and treat it as a symbol of friendship. It is also often being tied as orchid garland. People use it to welcome guests, and then send a sauce leaf to express their warm welcoming.
8. They greatly worship the lion, treat the lion as symbol of courage, dignity and strength. Therefore there is the shape of lion on the national flags.
9. Sri Lanka people also like Gallus lafayetii. I think it brings people goodness and happiness, and respect it as the national bird. Crow in Sri Lanka is considered the divine bird and mascot, and gain people’s admiration and worship.
10. Most of them like elephant, and also take it as the good luck to people. Therefore people love elephant more and often dress it up, even competing for comparing its beauty.
11. Visitors should pay attention to different castes that have different restriction from their religion, especially in the food aspect.
12. Sri Lanka people like red, white, brown, yellow, sky blue, grass green and black color and also like the color and pattern with ancient religious and mythological shapes.
13. Sri Lanka people treat foreign dignitaries by handshaking. When the honorable guests come, they also to put beautiful garlands on guests to show warmth and friendship. In the formal meetings, people send a stack of betel or a few slices of betel nut, to show respect.
Source link: http://hk.plm.org.cn/gnews/2010418/2010418201694.html
14. In Festival, people used to visit each other with some eating things and handshake etiquette. The gifts between Sri Lanka people usually are not so expensive, such as a piece of cake, or some fruit.
I. Festivals and holidays:
1. Major festivals (for arranging timetable of conference and blending as reference)
January 15th Tamil calendar New Year’s Day
January 17th Duruthu Full Moon Poya – (Religious/Buddhist)
February 4th the National Day
February 12th Haji section, the Islamic holiday
February 16th Full Moon Poya, to commemorate the birth of Sri Lanka’s first Buddhist monk
March 1st MahaShivaratri – (Religious/Hindu)
March 18th Medin Full Moon Poya – (Religious/Buddhist)
April 13-14th Sinhala and Tamil New Year Festival
April 16th Bak Full Moon Poya (In memory of the Buddha’s second visit to Sri Lanka)
April 18th The day of the death of Jesus
May 1st International labor day
May 14th Mohamed’s birthday
May 15-16th Vesak Full Moon Poya (Vesak) – (Religious/Buddhist)
June 14th Poson Full Moon Poya – (Religious/Buddhist)
July 13th Esala Full Moon Poya – (Religious/Buddhist)
August 11th Nikini Full Moon Poya – (Religious/Buddhist)
October 9th Vap Full Moon Poya – (Religious/Buddhist)
October 10th Army Day
November 8th Full Moon Poya – (Religious/Buddhist)
November 26th the Islamic Festival Eid
December 8th Unduvap Full Moon Poya – (Religious/Buddhist)
December 25th Christmas – (Religious/Catholic/Christian)
2. Holidays:
The system of the five working days is practiced in Sri Lanka, but in general, the system of five and a half day is carried out in the private enterprises. In addition, every full moon day rest too. One of the countries is the world festival of more countries, such as holiday just met Sunday, often also take deferred holidays if included Saturday and Sunday, the annual holiday for more than 170 days.
J. Diet (We need to understand the diet in detail in order to make love feast or snacks catering the locals’ taste):
1. Main food: In Sri Lanka, they usually eat rice, copra, popcorn, and cassava as their main food. Specially take coconut milk and red chili as seasoning in every dish. Chewing sauces is their hobby. They used to add some lime in the sauce, twisted together with areca and chew. It is said this can refresh us and helps our digestion. When they drink black tea, usually add sugar and milk in it. Farmers usually drink a kind of long drink brewing by coconut flowers. They usually have diet with their hands.
2. Features of diet
Concentration: Simple, but rich in color and flavor.
Flavor: usually are sweet and spicy.
Mainly food: rice, fried noodle and fried rice.
Non-staple food：usually eat chicken, fish, shrimp, beef, mutton, also love to eat potatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, carrots, melon, peppers and other vegetables; seasoning love with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, lemon, saffron, curry; generally do not eat freshwater fishes, dried fish; Sri Lanka Buddhists do not eat beef
Method: prefer to cook with frying and roasting
Chinese food: love the flavor of Sichuan, China.
Recipes: appreciate curry chicken, curry beef, dry mandarin fish, fennel beef, spicy chicken, eggplant, homemade tofu, fried tomato, ginger chicken, eggplant puree, grilled lamb pieces, tomato egg soup and other dishes.
Drinks: used to drink tea in the morning, drink coffee and tea after meals; they drink tea in the morning and afternoon.
Fruit: papaya, pineapple, coconut, bananas and other fruit; dried fruit such as walnuts, almonds, etc.
Sri Lanka people love to eat yogurt
K. Taboos (in order to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding, we need to be familiar with taboos)
1. People in Sri Lanka mostly Buddhist. They respect monks a lot in daily life. People get on bus through the back door, but monks through the front door. There are some special seats for monks in the bus, the usual people are forbidden to sit.
2. They abstain from using left hand to pass things or food, regard left hand as dirty, degrading hands. Therefore, using left hand to deliver goods is extremely impolite.
3. Monks are prohibited of alcohol; nor as mushrooms. Muslims are prohibited to eat pork and related products.
4. Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country, often encounter monks on the road. Need to ask for their permission before to take a shot of them.
5. In Buddhist culture, the head is very sacred, you cannot touch children’s’ head randomly.
6. Many Buddhist attractions the whole area will be required to remove their shoes to enter in order to show respect, a conservative clothing as much as possible, not too exposed, during a visit to the temple requires a clockwise direction, cannot take pictures inside the temple.
7. There are a lot of Muslim restaurants in Sri Lanka, but the signs are not significant, these restaurants do not serve alcoholic beverages, need to be pay attention.
8. If you stay in a local Hotel, or enter some individual shops, please note that if you need to take off your shoes, please respect and adapt to the people’s habits.
9. Huge of people died in Sri Lanka’s civil war, so do not discuss the political situation in public places
10. Couples in public places should not be too intimate, respect the local traditional
11. You need to be very quiet during eating and drinking, such as drink the soup or coffee.
12. Cannot drink alcohol during full moon.
Source link：https://www.douban.com/note/492085022/
L. National characteristics (knowing national characteristics helps us to have a better contact and relationship with them):
1. The Sri Lankan people are very hospitable, warm and friendly, polite, usually offer tea to the quests before talking.
2. Pay attention to etiquette. Because is British colony before. Sri Lanka was deeply influenced by British traditional culture, people used to handshake very gently like the British.
3. The Sri Lankan people love social in English, but if Sinhala, can make them feel more kindness.
4. Sri Lanka is very helpful, if you don’t know the way, they will try to point out very detail, if they have the time, may also take you to where you want to go.
5. The family relationship is quite stable in Sri Lanka. Generally as the core family, from parents and unmarried children living together. The elder are raised by children, usually lived in the eldest daughter’s home
6. The family relationship of Sinhalese is close, the elderly are respected in the family. The numbers of family member have a great relationship with the cultural level.
7. Sinhala women enjoy equal freedom and sovereignty in the family. Does not exist the stereotypes of the married women secluded. There is no prohibition of widow remarriage again. Sinhala women, including most educated women, after they have families, especially have a child, she will no longer to work, but to focus on raising offspring, housework. Women and men share the burden of agricultural labor and family life. In the whole family life, women play a very important role than men.
8. A large number of relatives play a big role. In many important affairs, uncle’s opinion is often decisive.
M. Way of thinking (transposition thinking is greatly helpful in the gospel preaching, baptism, and shepherding):
1. Values deeply rooted in the culture of Buddhism, Theravada Buddhist value system of cultural quality, through generation to generation, created a culture of inclusiveness and humility, gentle nature.
2. Sri Lanka will welcome visitors with open welcoming arms, the best stuff available to guests. Master bedroom guest while he slept on the sofa is not uncommon.
3. Buddhism condemns drunken behavior in ancient Sri Lanka, there is little drinking this kind of habit or form of entertainment. Until the United Kingdom colonial times, drinking habits in true form, becoming a form of entertainment
4. History shows that the elasticity of the character and culture of the people of Sri Lanka, and does not reflect on the strong resistance, but on their ability to adapt to and integrate into the new environment.
5. Because Christianity prevailed during the colonial period, the United Kingdom popular in the Victorian era “premarital chastity” concept in Sri Lankan society began to form. Things have changed, now the United Kingdom can already accept same-sex marriage, society still maintains a lot of Victorian values, women’s virginity is still very valued.
N. Way of interaction (we need to build a good image and enhance the relationship to quickly blend into the new environment):
1. Greeting, no matter when and where, or when people meet or say “good bye”, is used to make the hands together. Locals accustomed to raised his hands to the face ,then “Namaste”, but it is important to note that, in hands while at the same time not nodding, hands together and just slightly laughed: “Ayo Bao wen” (Hello). This is greeting each other and farewell wishes these remarks. When subjected to prayer ceremony, guests must be in the same manner.
2. Under the influence of foreigners, shaking hand becomes more popular.
3. Sri Lanka was affected the profound impact of the United Kingdom, so to applicable the United Kingdom-greetings, commensurate with each other’s title is appropriate.
4. Everything must be in Sri Lanka to tip, dinner or catch a taxi to the 10% tip. If hotel staff help with luggage, clean rooms, and so on, also need to tip, is about 20 rupees. (Tip is a waiter’s main source of income, is an affirmation of their work, recommended as the Romans do). To visit the bathroom in General was paid, please prepare some change.
5. Domain name registration Jiang·diyasi said at a forum of the Chief Executive of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka is the world’s fastest speed of country, charges only $ 5 per person per month net. 3G and 4G were used on a large scale network in Sri Lanka, with more is an internationally renowned Web application.
6. Tour through the region apart from the local people of Sri Lanka, India, and India is cunning, to keep tourists from photos to tourists asking for a tip, Sri Lankans are relatively simple, their appearance was like, it’s hard to distinguish, so when you visit, please as little as possible.
7. In Lanka, the most respected is Japanese, because Japan earlier than China to support and construct, followed by Chinese, but poor attitude to Europeans. Every time at the Colombo international airport , if you are Chinese, they see your passport stamped directly, no more than one minute, Europe face they would taking a careful, repeated checks; lanka even beg for money on the streets of beggars, see yellow will ask you are Japanese or Chinese, if you are Chinese, they all thumbs up.
Source link：http://bbs.tiexue.net/post_8354060_1.html?s=data
8. Sri Lanka’s mother tongue is Sinhala or Tamil, Sinhala language is the official language, but English is the compulsory course, street signs and even store cash register receipts are in English, so people have some command of English, young people have a higher level.
Source link：http://www.shenzhentour.net/guide/10/1080.html
9. Culture has a long history, Buddhist influence. Government attaches importance to education, since 1945, introduced free education from kindergarten to university. Population literacy rate is about 91.9% in 2010. Major universities are University of Peradeniya and University of Colombo, University of Colombo, more than 600 in the latest QS World University rankings. The Government educational expenditure is a share of GDP 1.9% in 2011.
10. Government has long been adopting rice subsidies, free education and universal free medical care, welfare measures. 2011 hospital beds per thousand people: 3.3, 1 doctor per 1274 people, 1.4% of public health expenditure as a share of GDP. Life expectancy of 74.9 years.
Source link：http://www.51yougo.com/Html/News/14546.html
11. Rejection and acceptance: Sri Lanka and India are like customs, nod is NO, keep shaking his head, that is, agreed with your point of view.
O. Behavior patterns (in order to contact them more properly, it is necessary to know their way and characteristics of doing things):
1. It is necessary to make an appointment. It is polite to comply with the time.
2. In Sri Lanka, hand in hand between men is normal, just a way of expressing friendship. Sri Lanka is more conservative and reserved, so couples will not have intimate activities in public, usually in the park, the beach, or some quiet place.
3. Three meals a day are separated widely. Breakfast at 6:30, lunch after 13 p.m., dinner after 21 p.m.
4. Sri Lanka has a strong awareness of animal protection, if someone capture or abuse of animals, there may be reported to the police
5. Sri Lanka National Costume for men wear long sleeved tight mouth short gowns, the lower part of the body a salon, usually white; women wearing tight fitting short sleeved jacket, the lower part of the body wrapped in color sari. Men and women generally wear slippers, do not wear socks. If in the formal occasions, men usually wear a suit, but women usually wear Sari
6. People’s name in Sri Lanka’s are very interesting, generally, family name in the first, and often use the father’s name as his name. According to the Sri Lanka tradition, women need to retain the name after get married, and following husband’s family name.
7. Sri Lankan loves cricket, derived from Britain and the rules are simple. People wears white shirt when playing cricket, use red ball. To learn more about cricket rules and Sri Lanka cricket star, is helpful for travel.
8. The same class exchange marriage, seeking perfect match, usually marked out to seek the same class. Although this cannot be a representative, but they believe that marriage comes by destiny, by God decided to the happiness of his life. Therefore, the divorce rate is not high
9. Free love in Sri Lanka also gradually rising, when you walk on the beach or park, will be attracted by a very strange scene called “Umbrella Sea”. The young couple go out with an umbrella, neither sun nor bring rain, but to “modesty”
10. People need to register before they married, after verification of the registry of marriage, will have “marriage license”. Obtain permission, can be legal cohabitation. High rate of people are legal cohabitation in Sri Lanka.
Source link：http://z7621941.pixnet.net/blog/post/233267936
11. The most desirable occupation of young people in Sri Lanka is doctors. Public hospitals usually get off work at 3:00 in the afternoon, so doctors are hired by private clinics.
12. Urban families pay less attention to birth, generally only two or three children. But in the countryside, most people still think a flourishing population is a prerequisite for family prosperous. A family usually have five or six children, even more than a dozen children
Source link：http://news.sohu.com/20091208/n268759442.shtml
13. There are many leftovers after the meal, they usually do not eat the leftovers, but pour down to the animals to eat. You should not talk about this, otherwise they will be unhappy.
P. Others (we need to have more understanding of local situation as reference)
1. From December to next year March , many Europeans to Sri Lanka for the winter, especially between Christmas and new year’s day, is the tourist season, this time the prices to Sri Lanka Tourism are the highest in the year. Another peak season is 7-8 months, Esala Perahera Kandy festival.
2. Although the level of consumption in Sri Lanka is not very high, but the local people’s living level is still quite high.
3. In the city of Colombo there are schools at all levels and also have the school set up by many foreigners which is called international school. It’s good for studying here that because it is the founder of the British, and follow the system of British education, so their scores has been recognized by the UK or Australian chains of schools, after finishing the 13 level education (the equivalent of high school graduation), and pass the school examinations, you can directly apply for British or Australian University, which is the reason why so many non local officials, the foreigner, choose to study in Sri Lanka.
4. A mysterious chronic kidney disease has spread in the rural areas of Sri Lanka in the past 20 years, this mysterious disease has killed about 20 thousand person, and effected about 70 thousand to 400 thousand farmers’ life in the northern part. A report by the World Health Organization pointed out that indeed found the presence of an excess of cadmium in the area, and entered into some plants or vegetables, such as lotus root or tobacco, but not water.
Source link：
http://culture.gmw.cn/2015-01/19/content_14564444.htm
5. In daily life and family affairs, the girl has got a property when she get married, real estate would be distribute between the male heir, and the eldest son would get a larger piece of land, and after the death of his father should bear duty to take care whole family. In order to make the land would not be scattered, many families use the “rotation system”, which is motivated the same piece of land by several successors in rotation .This system to further strengthen the relationship between the Sinhalese families.
Source link:
http://www.zsbeike.com/index.php?m=content&c=zhuanye&a=show_qw&id=40240112
6. According to the Sri Lanka immigration and Statistics Bureau of exit and entry in 2010, Sri Lanka now has 7844 Chinese holding employment visa”. The number of Chinese in Sri Lanka is not much, the first generation of Chinese (immigration) is 20 of the last century, in order to escape the war drift from Hankou to the dentist or small traders. Now the Chinese in Sri Lanka total data is 2000-3000, up to about 5000 people. Most of them engaged in construction (including workers), many of them will return home after completion of the project. It should be said that Chinese Engineers (state-owned enterprises) is a separate ecosystem. Colombo gathered about hundreds of Chinese, many people engaged in the catering industry (now there are more than 30 restaurants in Colombo ). Now, with the development of the tourism industry and the economy, Sri Lanka had a large number of Chinese tour guide (claiming to be “translation”, because Sri Lanka does not allow foreigners as a tour guide, the Chinese tour guide is a very vague existence) and gem dealers. In recent years, Sri Lanka has attracted many adventurous China businessmen to invest, there also have a lot Chinese open the inn there. If you travel in Sri Lanka, it’s easy to encounter the China guides and gem dealers.
Source link：https://www.douban.com/note/524702341/
