Sister-city students take a shine to Shanghai

Nearly 100 students and faculty members from 16 foreign cities in friendship with Shanghai arrived in the city for a two-week summer youth camp to learn about Chinese culture with 57 local high school student volunteers.

The summer camp for teens which kicked off on Thursday night includes various events for the students from such countries as Finland, France, Switzerland, Russia, Belgium, Japan, South Korea and Australia.

The program was initiated in 2009.

In the following two weeks, they will visit the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Shanghai Committee to learn about Chinese governance and setting up a "community with shared future."

They will take classes with local volunteers to learn Chinese, traditional culture and join some other outdoor activities.

They will also tour campuses, landmarks in Shanghai and tourist attractions in neighboring areas to know more about the city and its education system. Events like teenager forums, sports matches and costume parties will also be held to promote friendship among campers and between campers and the Chinese volunteers.

Li Yongzhi, deputy director of the Shanghai Education Commission, said at the opening ceremony that in the past decade, the Shanghai International Sister Cities Youth Camp has received a total of 1,015 overseas students and teachers from 38 international sister cities and regions around the world.

"It plays an active role in deepening educational cooperation between Shanghai and its international sister cities and promoting friendship and understanding among youth from various countries," said Li.

According to Heidi Roque, 16, from Tapida High School in Espoo, Finland, everything here is very cool and she likes the light show presented during the ceremony.

“I’m sure I will learn a lot of Chinese and have a lot of new and exciting experiences,” she said.

Kurt Aerden, a teacher from Stedelijk Lyceum Waterbaan in Antwerp, Belgium, who leads a group of students, told Shanghai Daily that last year he was also the one who came with the teens to Shanghai.

"In September I made a presentation for the other schools and they also wanted to come," said Aerden. In his opinion, here his students can meet many people, from both China and other countries.

For the volunteers, they still have a bond with them and talk from time to time.

"So, I think they can see how the big chances it could create, a lot of friendships," he said.

"Everyone can learn more about the culture and meet new people from all over the world. We can learn a lot about China," said his student, 18-year-old Amanda Tonen.