Schoolexchange with China

China has a dual and complex nature. It can give generously of its soul and yet remain elusive. It can be extraordinarily beautiful and the land of your dreams and it cannot fail to impress.
China has overcome devastating invasions, civil conflict, and 30 years of complete isolation from the world—and emerged an economic dynamo with a growing middle class. China has made rapid advances in international education since 1970.

These days China offers splendid opportunities for exploring the Yangtze, an improved educational system, joint ventures with cultural organizations, and an efficient transportation system as subways.

China is also a highly rewarding country for foreign exchange students. It offers temples, shrines, and beautiful Chinese gardens; Beijing Oper, the treasured form of oper utilizing intricate scenery, costumes, and makeup. And there is Chinese Art, from Chinese Painting to Calligraphy.

Through all China's modernity runs a deep reverence for the past and a fervent belief in tradition that makes travel and stay in the country a very positive and rewarding experience.
Although mordern technology plays a powerful role in the daily life of the Chinese, most Chinese maintain a centuries-old tradition of hospitality and graciousness.
There is much to learn from China that will influence your life forever. The beauty of the land, the changing views of the cities, and the contradictions and complexities of its culture are never forgotten.
We organize school exchange to china for several years. Our programm is focused on European schools which would like to build partnership with chinese schools and mak mutual visits on a regular basis with each other.

The Chinese schools
High Schools are called in Chinese „Zhong Xue“. Secondary education (High School) has two levels in China: Junior level for three years, and Senior for three years. 80 percent of all Chinese boys and girls in age from 12 to 18 attend Zhong Xue after their graduation from primary schools. Some Chinese Zhong Xue are classified by the Chinese Education Commission as Key Schools. "Key Schools" are regarded in China as elite schools and have even better reputation than private schools.

 
             Map of P.R CHINA         Map of the Zhejiang Province  ( click to see the detailed map)

The Chinese schools with which we have contact are mainly from Hangzhou, the capital city of the Zhejiang province. Zhejiang province, located in Southeastern China, is a prosperous region with historical and cultural significance. Hangzhou is about 180 km away from the metropole Shanghai. A lot of schools in Hangzhou are Key Highs, comparable with the European High Schools.

The exchangeprogramm
 
Duration of the exchange programm
Normally we organize exchange program for 2- 3 weeks. The foreign teachers and students stay about a week in the partner school and then enjoy study travel to other regions of china.

Daily programme
The chinese school system is very different from its european counterpart.In a chinese school, classes generally begin at 7:30 am and finish at 5:00 pm on weekdays. Chinese students stay in the same classroom all day and teachers move from room to room. An average class consists of about 50 students. The students do not choose their subjects, with the exception of Arts, Music or Calligraphy.

The foreign students will have the opportunity to take part in the chinese lessons, mostly English-, sport- and music lessons which are easy to understand even if they speak no words of chinese. Apart from the faculty lessons, these are still lots of hobby activities like Art und Calligraphy to attend.



In addition, the chinese schools will offer opportunities to participate in sports activities with Chinese students. Art rooms and the piano practice hall are available to students. Groups of  European and Chinese students can sit down for an informal talk,  to get to know each other and talk about common interests and cultural differences. Host families also open another set of activities to students, activities that frequently involve inclusion in the larger, extended family.

Homestay

During their stays in Chinese schools, every foreign student will be staying in Chinese families (Home Stay).

The homestay is the highlight of our program, offering students the opportunity to experience the daily rhythms of life and family relations, which few foreigners are able to do. In their host families students learn Chinese language and more others, ranging from cooking to family celebrations. Even more importantly, they form friendships and develop interest that will last a lifetime.   

Language
There is no Chinese pre-requisite for this program. The language used for communication is English. Every student who wants to take part in this program should at least have average level of English knowledge.

Travel
In order to give students an experience of China beyond the Zhejiang Province, we also organize study tours after their stay in the partner school, usually by train, to places of historical and cultural importance.
Travel destinations change each year and in the past we visited almost every province and major city of historical significance in East and South China.

Our tour normaly begins or ends in Beijing or Shanghai, China's two international gateway cities. Whichever path one follows, our tour always includes a visit to Hangzhou to see the world famous westlake, and an excursion up to Suzhou, whose ancient gardens are valued for centuries by chinese people. A typical Shanghai-Hangzhou-Suzhou-Beijing itinerary can run as few as 10 days, these are the very things that the first-time traveler comes to see . From that basis, we add excursions to nearby cities like Nanjing and Wuxi, or a few extra days for a trip to other chinese regions.

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