Longde School in Lixia district, Jinan, welcomed a delegation of teachers and students from New Zealand on April 13, marking a new step forward in its international education exchange efforts.

During the visit, the two sides signed a formal partner school agreement, establishing a foundation for future academic cooperation and resource sharing.

The delegation then took part in a series of cultural activities designed to promote mutual understanding. Students experienced traditional Chinese dough sculpturing, learning to create colorful figures of animals and flowers.

The exchange also included music and performance arts. Teachers and students discussed differences between Eastern and Western music theory, while the guests enjoyed live performances of the guzheng (a traditional Chinese zither) and erhu (a two-stringed fiddle), gaining firsthand experience of traditional Chinese musical instruments. In the gymnasium, they watched a tai chi fan demonstration and later joined a hands-on dumpling-making session.

The visit strengthened cultural ties between the two sides and offered students from both countries a broader perspective on cross-cultural learning and exchange.

Under the guidance of teachers, a student from New Zealand tries her hand at dough sculpting. [Photo/WeChat account: Jinan International Communication Center]

International students gather around a table to make dumplings, experiencing a traditional Chinese culinary activity in Jinan. [Photo/WeChat account: Jinan International Communication Center]