Malaysian students welcome their peers from Beijing at the airport. [Photo/CSCLF]

The China Soong Ching Ling Foundation sent a group of 11 people to Malaysia on January 26, 2016, to participate in an eight-day exchange program at the invitation of the Sun Yat-sen Museum Penang. Eight Chinese students from the middle school attached to the Beijing International Studies University studied and lived together with their peers there.

The foundation could organize more exchange activities to enhance the understanding and friendship between the Chinese and Malaysian people, said Bai Jianwen, vice consul of the Chinese consulate in Penang.

The Chinese students lived with their peers and host families. They helped each other in their studies and lives. For their part, the Malaysian students invited their Chinese friends to experience local customs and enjoy traditional food after school.

Chinese students learn craft skill. [Photo/CSCLF]

The program involves a variety of courses and exchange activities, according to its schedule. Volunteer services and outdoor exploration are also offered, along with opportunities to experience world cultural heritage. To sum it up, the activities are intended to be both enlightening and entertaining.

At the school, the Chinese students learned not only Chinese, fine arts, history, English and computer science, but also dancing, taekwondo, home economics and arts and crafts. In a short period of time they came to know what their peers covered in school.

As part of the program, the students volunteered in a kindergarten, telling stories and playing games with the kids. They also taught the children how to write, cut paper and paint. They also visited a memorial and family shrine, and learned more about the history before the Revolution of 1911 and the Nonya culture in Penang. 

Chinese students learn about the rain forest. [Photo/CSCLF]