In 2024, to actively implement President Xi Jinping's "Five-Year, 50,000" and "Three-Year, 10,000, with European Participation Doubled" initiatives, Jiangsu Education Services for International Exchange (JESIE), following directives from the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, launched the "Discover Jiangsu – American Youth Exchange Program", "Discover Jiangsu – Hungarian Youth Exchange Program" and "Discover Jiangsu – Spanish Youth Exchange Program" . These programs invited 552 students and teachers from 30 U.S. states, 19 participants from the Hungarian-Chinese Bilingual School, and 33 representatives from Catalonia, Spain, to visit Jiangsu. These participants engage in exchanges, and immerse themselves in traditional Chinese and local Jiangsu culture, thus the event achieves great success.

Building a Bridge of Friendship Between Chinese and American Teenagers

Students and teachers from the U.S. visited 13 cities across Jiangsu, participated in immersive school exchanges, city tours, and cultural experiences. These activities provided them with a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of China, while fostering friendships and promoting openness and cooperation between Chinese and American youth.

1. Immersive Campus Exchange Between Chinese and American Students. By visiting renowned primary and secondary schools in Jiangsu, American teenagers engaged in meaningful interactions with local students and teachers, gaining a deeper understanding of Jiangsu’s educational philosophy and development.

For example, Nanjing Municipal Education Bureau organized American students to visit prestigious local schools such as Nanjing No. 1 High School and immersive physics learning centers under its "On-Campus Curriculum Experience" program, facilitating hands-on educational experiences.

The Suqian Municipal Education Bureau organized American youth to experience Confucian cultural traditions, including the entrance ceremony before the statue of Confucius at Zhongwu Junior High School and the symbolic fish-releasing and “Leap Through the Dragon Gate” ceremony at Malin High School’s Confucius Cultural Plaza.

2. On-Site Cultural Immersion and Heritage Appreciation. By visiting museums, natural landscapes, and cultural sites, American students learned Chinese, tasted local cuisine, practiced martial arts, and observed tea ceremonies, deepening their understanding of Jiangsu's rich traditions.

For example, Suzhou Municiapal Education Bureau introduced students to intangible cultural heritage, allowing them to experience Kesi silk weaving, Su embroidery, traditional fans, pastry-making, and tea ceremonies and other traditional handicrafts and arts.

Changzhou Municipal Education Bureau organized American teenagers to experience China's traditional farming culture through hands-on labor education at Taihu Bay Farming & Reading Academy, including rice seedling transplanting, wood-fired cooking, Tofu making, Changzhou sesame cake making.

3. Technology and Ecology: Experiencing the Modern Urban Landscape. By visiting economic development zones, ecological reserves, and new urban areas, American teenagers experienced  transformations of Jiangsu's modern city, gained insights into the cultivation and development of "New Quality Productive Forces", and experienced the harmony between humans and nature.

For example, Wuxi Municipal Education Bureau, centered on the "New Quality Productive Forces" initiative, organized American teenagers to visit GEM (Wuxi) Energy Materials Co., Ltd. and Wuxi Cotton Textile Group, learning about the development of emerging technology enterprises and China's green circular industry.

Nantong Municipal Education Bureau, centered on the “Natural Enviroment Protection Program” , organized American teenagers to visit the Langshan Riverside Ecological Corridor, where they learned about Yangtze river conservation initiatives.

Taizhou Municipal Education Bureau, focusing on "traditional Chinese medicine culture", guided American students through Jiangsu Traditional Chinese Medicine Science Park, where they experienced Taizhou’s achievements in medicine and the charm of traditional Chinese medicine.

Yancheng Municipal Education Bureau focused on "wetland ecological protection",  organizing American students and teachers to visit the Yellow Sea Wetland Museum, Yancheng Rare Bird Nature Reserve, and Dafeng Milu National Nature Reserve, where they observed red-crowned cranes and milu deer up close, appreciating the beauty of the wetlands.

Lianyungang Municipal Education Bureau, focusing on "Haizhou culture", arranged visits for American teenagers to the Haizhou City Memory Museum, where they explored the rich integration of mountain and sea urban culture and its profound historical heritage.

The event garnered widespread media attention, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson's office sharing and praising the "Discover Jiangsu" initiative. More than 20 major national and provincial media outlets, including CCTV’s Chinese International Channel “China News”, Xinhua News Agency, China News Service, People’s Daily Online, China Education Daily, Xinhua Net, Jiangsu Satellite TV, Jiangsu Radio and Television Station, Yangtze Evening News, and Modern Express, provided timely coverage for the event.

The event had a lasting and extensive impact, with American students and teachers sending handwritten letters of gratitude and expressing their desire to encourage more U.S. students to visit Jiangsu. After returning home, 21 students and teachers from McNicholas High School in Ohio organized a photography exhibition showcasing their experiences in Jiangsu.

Cultivating Envoys for the Continuation and Development of China-Hungarian Friendship

Since 2019, when Jiangsu Nantong High School and the Hungarian-Chinese Bilingual School signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Establishing Friendly School Relations, schools in Jiangsu and the Hungarian-Chinese Bilingual School have carried out a series of reciprocal visits and exchange activities, fostering a precious friendship like "gold". In 2024, a delegation of 19 teachers and students from the Hungarian-Chinese Bilingual School was invited to Jiangsu to participate in the Discover Jiangsu – Hungarian Youth Exchange Program, visiting schools, technological institutions, and cultural sites in Nantong, Changzhou, and Nanjing. Among the 17 students, seven were in their second visit to Jiangsu, and some students had been pre-admitted to Nanjing University, preparing to embark on an exciting journey of studying in China and pursuing their dreams.

To showcase the achievements of China-Hungarian educational exchanges in recent years, the Hungarian-Chinese Bilingual School set up a Discover Jiangsu exhibition window, introducing Jiangsu’s general profile, its educational system, and the Discover Jiangsu program.