A group of U.S. students have toured Beijing as part of a program aiming to help young Americans gain deeper understanding of China's culture and development, and to enhance the friendly ties between the people of the two countries via such exchanges.
The Discover China program, launched by Beijing Foreign Studies University, is designed to welcome U.S. students to an integrated course on China Studies with topics covering diplomacy and foreign policy, history of China's international exchanges, economy, culture and society, among others.
The first session of the cultural exchange program started on Friday. Students from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania will participate in field visits, academic lectures, and seminars during the week-long activity.
On the first day of their China tour, these young people visited the headquarters of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi in Beijing and get a first-hand glimpse of the company's first electric car model - the Xiaomi SU7.
"This is a really nice car. It's really advanced. It's a lot of technology and the music sounds really great," said Shalee Bennett, a student.
"I think one downside of them being sold in the States is the price will definitely go up very much in the States. But it's very advanced technology and I feel like it's the future of what technology will be," said Emma Monday, another student.
The students also got the chance to try other Xiaomi gadgets, including smartphones and tablets.
On the same day, the students also toured other landmarks of the Chinese metropolis, such as the Forbidden City, to learn more about the history and development of China.
"It's really pretty here in China. I didn't know the weather was going to be this nice. There's like a lot of greenery and trees. You don't see this many trees and flowers in American cities," said Kellen Mcdaniel, a student.
"I've really liked the tour so far. I feel like I'm learning a lot of stuff and seeing a lot of things that, like really eye-opening and interesting, and they're like you really can't see anywhere else. So I've really enjoyed that," said Caroline Bianco, another student.
Their journey comes after Chinese President Xi Jinping made an announcement last November in San Francisco that China is ready to invite 50,000 young Americans to China on exchange and study programs in the next five years to increase exchanges between their peoples, especially between the youth.
During the rest of the trip, the group will visit universities and other tourist attractions including the Summer Palace, and the Temple of Confucius, where they are expected to explore more of both Chinese traditional and modern culture.
U.S. students tour Beijing on cultural exchanges program
