The Uruguayan Ambassador to China Fernando Lugris (center), the Chinese and the Uruguayan students pose for a group photo in front of the Uruguayan Embassy in China. Photo: Yin Yeping

The Uruguayan Embassy in China hosted the Chinese-Uruguayan Student Culture Exchange Day for a group of Uruguayan primary school students from the People's Republic of China school in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, on August 14. This school is located in an impoverished area, and these kids are traveling overseas for the first time. The school was made possible by China's sole donations to the Uruguayan government and it is currently being renovated, which is another reason why the school has been given this name, according to the Uruguayan Embassy. Supported by the Uruguayan Embassy and the private consulting company Emba Consultoria, the group of Uruguayan students was able to travel to China, visit some famous places like the Great Wall and the Forbidden City in Beijing and get to know about Chinese language and culture. At the event, they met with students from schools in Beijing, and received gifts from them and watched their performances. The Uruguayan Ambassador to China Fernando Lugris said that the tour for these students in China is a good example of cultural exchanges in which they are able to make friends with Chinese children of the same age. Lugris said that there are more than 300 students currently studying at the school. "The idea is to build up a new modern school that is going to give a lot of new opportunities to the kids," he said. "Then the old school can also be transformed in order to receive more students. It's a great asset for the whole neighborhood."