Chinese delegates visit Plymouth
A party of Chinese officials are in Plymouth for the next few days to look at educational possibilities in the city.
The group will be visiting Plymouth College, Plymouth College of Art and City College Plymouth before they attend a reception dinner with the Lord Mayor.
The purpose of the visit is to extend the links between the respective Chambers of Commerce and discuss the possibility of students from Jiaxing studying for GCSE and ‘A’ level at Colleges and Universities in Plymouth. The delegates will also be talking about the success of the summer camps for Jiaxing teachers and students, which have taken place in Plymouth for the past four years.
Councillor Sue McDonald, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Public Health said: “This visit strengthens our existing links with Jiaxing and is of great benefit to the city. Not only do our young people learn from meeting Chinese students helping to give them a broader view of the world, but our local economy will also benefit hugely. Our aim is to continue to arrange visits from schools in Jiaxing and we hope to encourage tourism by word of mouth with each new visitor.”
The visit is part of a link that was set up in April 2005 during a visit to Hangzhou in China where colleagues from Education in Plymouth met up with groups of Head teachers and educationalists from Jiaxing.
The link with education has been particularly successful and a number of joint projects have taken place including:
- Producing calendars, artwork and cookery books.
- Designing products in Plymouth which are produced in Jiaxing.
- ‘Better Community Better Life’ Art project culminating in a display at the British Council offices in London and Shanghai.
Theatre exchange project Romeo and Juliet which involved 24 young people rehearsing and performing together at theatres in Jiaxing and Plymouth.
There are now 20 partnerships between schools across Jiaxing and Plymouth with children as young as 10 getting the opportunity to visit their partner schools.
