The primary school of China-Hong Kong English School (CHES) welcomed a group of foreign guests from the US on June 12. Sun Huizhen, the daughter of Sun Bisheng, the great-grandnephew of Sun Yat-sen, led a cultural exchange group of nearly 20 American pupils to experience Chinese culture in Zhongshan.

The exchange group consists of American and Chinese-American pupils and their parents. During the two-week trip, they will attend Chinese classes and communicate in Chinese for an immersive learning experience. Through the cultural experience lessons and off-campus study travel, the exchange group will get a well rounded understanding of the characteristics of Chinese culture while they observe the customs and modern urban scenery of China.

At the welcoming ceremony, the American pupils and their parents were warmly received with gifts from CHES students.

It is known that these American pupils, aged from 7 to 10, study at a Chinese-English bilingual school in Los Angeles. They have been exposed to Chinese culture and have prepared themselves with some Chinese language skills. But for some of them, it's their first visit to China.

In the cultural experience classes, the exchange group members will learn to cook traditional Chinese cuisine and enjoy Chinese folk music, lion dance, martial arts, and calligraphy. They will also visit Zhongshan and surrounding cities (including Hong Kong and Macao) for off-campus travels. There, they will be able to appreciate various cityscapes.

Sun Huizhen, who organized the cultural experience, also took her daughter to participate in the event. "Zhongshan is my hometown. It is meaningful to come to Zhongshan for cultural exchange. I hope this exchange experience may give these children and parents a deeper impression of China and a greater understanding of Chinese culture."