Students and teachers attending the first “Discover Jiangsu, Australian Sister School” cultural exchange program pose for a group photo at the welcoming ceremony on Sept 26. A total of 108 students and teachers from the states of Queensland and Victoria attended the program. [Photo/ec.js.edu.cn]

East China’s Jiangsu province welcomed a visiting group of 108 students and teachers from the Australian states of Victoria and Queensland on Sept 26. 

The students, who are attending the first “Discover Jiangsu, Australian Sister School” program, were welcomed to Jiangsu by Wang Chengbin, deputy director-general of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education. 

Wang made a speech to the students, in which he praised the many mutual benefits Jiangsu province and Australia have achieved in recent years, especially since the two sides signed a cooperative agreement in 2014. 

One of the beneficial results of the agreement has been the launch of the “Discover Jiangsu, Future Youth Leaders” cultural exchange program, in which 511 students and teachers from Australia have taken part to date. 

Wang also said he expected a lot from the Australian visitors, as he hoped they could grasp the chance to sharpen their language proficiency and learn more about Chinese culture. 

When talking about the various ways to promote educational exchanges between the two sides, he illustrated the “four great new inventions” of modern China, namely dockless shared bicycles, high-speed railway, mobile payment systems, and e-commerce. 

Wang said that the Australian students should take the opportunity to build friendships with their Chinese peers, as the inventions that have made daily life so convenient for Chinese people were just a few examples of the technological innovation that has been taking place in China. 

Representatives from the Australian delegation said that Wang’s suggestions were very inspiring. They also said that they looked forward to their future visits to local schools and families and hoped to learn more about Jiangsu’s educational development.