Coming to Ceylon, their new home – Extract from The Sunday Times Sri Lanka contributed by Marie Pietersz Coming to Ceylon, their new home From Colombo to Negombo and even Kanatte, Kumudini Hettiarachchi sets out to trace the first wave of Chinese immigrants who brought with them their own brand of trade, textiles and dentures Tightly-wedged amongtextile-dealers andjewellers along bustling Greens Road in Negombo, is a unique shop doubling up for two trades. Styletex claims the big board in English, while ‘Dath bandina sthanaya’ states the second line in bold Sinhala letters. Textiles and dentures symbolize the quiet and unsung contribution of the early Chinese settlers who wandered into then Ceylon, not only from mainland China but also several other countries and made this land their home. And it is at Styletex that we meet Yee Shiou Sen who celebrates his 86th birthday on June 17. He is believed to ...