Chinese high school students visit DuPage
A group of students from the People's Republic of China are touring DuPage County for more than a week as part of DuPage Convention and Visitors Bureau's DuPage Discovery Tours program - an international student program that expands cross-cultural understanding, develops platforms for various languages and promotes higher learning.
The first group of students from China to visit as part of the Discover DuPage outreach, the students arrived Wednesday, Feb. 1. Their visit exemplifies the visitors bureau's efforts to gain greater international exposure for DuPage County as a global leader in education and science.
Ten top students and two teacher chaperons from the city of Zibo, China, are spending more than a week visiting attractions and participating in an immersive cultural exchange program in DuPage.
"This cultural exchange is a fantastic opportunity to pique students' interest in other cultures at a young age," said Beth Marchetti, visitors bureau executive director.
"We hope this visit will spur more students from China to explore our community and, in turn, spark interest from DuPage students to travel the world."
The visitors' school, Huantai First Middle School, is one of the highest ranking schools in the Shandong Province, and has been considered a "Provincial Elite School" since 1961. In addition to DuPage, Huantai First Middle School also works with educational institutions in Australia, Japan, South Korea and Canada.
The Chinese students selected are some of the best in their school, which has almost 6,000 pupils. The school's hometown, Zibo, is known as the birthplace of Cuju, a game that FIFA recognizes as one of the earliest forms of modern soccer.
During their stay, the high school-aged students are following a customized itinerary that emphasizes learning about American culture and language.
For example, the students will visit a variety of educational and cultural attractions, such as Argonne National Laboratory, Cantigny Park, and DuPage colleges and universities, as well as the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. They also will shadow students at DuPage High School District 88 schools, giving DuPage students the chance to learn more about Chinese language and culture as well.
"Cultural experiences like these can have an enormous impact on a young person's life," said Scott Helton, District 88 superintendent. "We look forward to hosting more students from abroad in the future."
Last October, the visitors bureau co-hosted the Chinese consul general, Hong Lei. Bill Liu, the bureau's global brand ambassador, and his counterpart Will Chang, have been instrumental in heightening awareness of DuPage County as a Midwest destination.
"There are so many attractions in DuPage, it can be hard to fit everything into one visit," Marchetti said. "Through programs like DuPage Discovery Tours, we're able to create tailored visits for national and international guests, so everyone gets the most out of their time in DuPage County."
The visitors bureau will have a graduation ceremony for the students Friday, Feb. 10, at Maggiano's Little Italy, Oak Brook.