A delegation of 36 teachers and students from Italian Macerata Artistic High School began a two-week visit to Taicang, Jiangsu province on Sept 10.

The high school formed a friendship with a local vocational school the next day and, guided by a teacher from the vocational school, the Italian teachers and students learnt how to write Chinese characters.

Chinese teachers taught the Italian students and teachers how to write their own names in Mandarin, the visitors finding the different stroke orders and unfamiliar constructions quite challenging.

The Italian teachers and students also tried their hands at Chinese martial arts, Chinese painting, playing table tennis, and making Chinese dumplings, and all were impressed by traditional Chinese art and culture.

Head of the Italian high school said, during their stay in Taicang, "Students are our future, and those from both countries can learn a lot from each other by making frequent interactions."

She added that the two countries' schools should take part in more exchanges in sports, language, chemistry, tourism, and other fields in the future.

In recent years, Taicang schools have carried out close exchanges with their foreign counterparts. At present, more than 40 percent of the city's public schools have formed friendships with foreign schools and over 60 percent have had exchanges with these schools. About 400 local students visited Italy, Australia, the UK, and other countries in 2016.

The Italian teachers and students pose for a group photo in front of a local high school during their two-week visit to Taicang, Jiangsu province. [Photo/WeChat account: taicangdaily]