Pupils from Caihe No 3 Primary School in Hangzhou, the capital of East China's Zhejiang province, pose with their art works. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Pupils from the Caihe No 3 Primary School in Hangzhou, the capital of East China's Zhejiang province, recently received a letter in reply from the Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, local media reported Sept 7.

In his letter, the president expressed his appreciation for the care and good wishes the pupils have extended through their art works in supporting Sri Lanka's fight against COVID-19 and passed on the message that Sri Lanka has been successful in keeping the pandemic under control.

It was the first time the Hangzhou students had received a letter from a foreign president. The letter was a reply to one written by the students in May, sharing their love and concern for the island country and attaching 10 paper-cuttings and 20 paintings and calligraphy works.

The connections between Caihe No 3 Primary School and Sri Lanka started in 2019, when the Hangzhou pupils entered an international painting competition organized by Sri Lanka and won 30 first, second and third prizes.

The letter in reply from the Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is sent to Hangzhou students on July 20. The letter was written by Mohan Samaeanayake, director-general of the president's media division. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Paper-cuttings, calligraphy and paintings created by pupils from Caihe No 3 Primary School in Hangzhou [Photo/WeChat account: jgfabu]