Students learn dragon dance in Chengdu. Photo: Courtesy of Sichuan Normal University

"I think having the chance to come to Beijing and experience what China's really like has been the cherry on the cake." "It might be a unique once-in-a-lifetime experience for me." 

On Friday, at the Beijing Language and Culture University, UK youths rushed forward to speak about what they felt about their trip to China during the closing ceremony of a summer camp that attracted nearly 1,200 teens from 61 UK schools.

The summer camp for helping UK students better learn Chinese started at the beginning of July. During the 11-day event, the attendees' footprints covered 10 cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai and several capitals of provinces like Chengdu in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, not only to learn and practice Chinese in real situations but also to throw themselves into Chinese culture and taste its diverse flavor.

Nick Thomas, minister (culture and education) of the British Embassy in Beijing and country director of the British Council China, one of the sponsors of the event, told the Global Times that the summer camp for Chinese learning was the largest ever for this kind of Chinese excellence program.

"To come to China, to experience the culture, to engage with all sorts of different situations, whether it's shopping, whether it's cultural activities, we think will really motivate them when they go back to England as well to continue their studies with what we know is a very challenging language," Thomas said.

UK students perform at the closing ceremony of the summer camp. Photo: Courtesy of Beijing Language and Culture University

 While talking with the Global Times, the young students who have been studying Chinese for several years recalled their impressive experience in different cities.

In Chengdu, they drank tea, had local snacks and chatted with residents at Renmin Park, an epitome for local life. They also learned to cook a specialty dish at the Sichuan Cuisine Museum and wandered around the Sanxingdui Museum, listening carefully to the historical stories about the ancient Shu civilization.

In Beijing, they climbed the Great Wall and sauntered around the Forbidden City, digging deep into the history of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties as well as the marvelous building techniques of ancient Chinese. They also walked through the city's hutong - the narrow streets or alleys that snake around different blocks in the capital - and learned to bargain with merchants in Chinese, just like local residents.

"I think when we learn Chinese Mandarin in the UK, it's quite static. Most of the time, it's very slow moving, while being in Beijing, it's always very fast. And speaking face to face with people who might not know that much English really gives us real life experiences which are so helpful," Jack, a ninth-grader who has been learning Chinese for three years, told the Global Times.

Another student, William, added, "The main reason why most of us chose to pick Mandarin was the promise of coming to China. And it's been an absolutely amazing three years of learning Chinese. It's been very difficult, but at the same time, very interesting."

The 11-day trip earned these teenagers cherished and unique memories of China. For William, it was the stunning scenery captured on the Great Wall, while for Megan, it was the tree covered Beijing streets and jasmine tea. Daisy collected Chinese-style bookmarks to keep the journey in her mind.

Chinese and UK students landed opportunities to communicate and show their friendliness to each other during the summer camp. They played basketball and soccer together, deepening understanding of their peers' lifestyles.

Thomas pointed out that cultural exchange is the core of the relationship between China and the UK, and the exchange and trust between young people of the two countries are of particular importance. Language is the bridge for exchanges, so learning Chinese is of special value for UK students.

The director added that the students attending the summer camp have learned Chinese for three years now, and they do eight hours a week and speak actually very well. They are a window for UK youths to come into contact with a large, historically rich, and culturally diverse country, where many significant things have happened. 

"Chinese is indeed a difficult language to learn, but it's worth the effort," he said.

The summer camp has been running in the UK since 2016. The aim of the program is to build greater Chinese skills among young people in the UK. So far more than 11,000 students across the country have gone through the program.