Program sees students learn from each other

Students from the world's leading universities had no difficulty in exchanging ideas and solving problems with their Chinese counterparts, despite cultural differences, experts said.

The Second International Youth Leadership Program, organized by Beijing Normal University, saw students from Harvard, Oxford, the University of Birmingham and Beijing Normal University enjoy working together and exchanging ideas.

"It's totally amazing to me", said Natasha Jackson from the University of Birmingham, in China for the first time.

"At first, I was kind of worried there might be problems communicating with Chinese students. But when I met them I found my concerns were unnecessary."

Jackson was in a team that studied the custom of "water marriage" of the Dan ethnic group in southern China.

The team spent a week researching in Denglongsha, a scenic area in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

Jackson was impressed with her Chinese colleagues.

"They all speak great English, and the way they work and think is the same as us."

Jackson did not expect to make so many Chinese friends in just 20 days.

Cai Kaipiao, one of Jackson's Chinese counterparts who is from Beijing Normal University, said they had established a strong bond.

"We are not only teammates, but family since we experienced a lot during the past 20 days."

Feng Sirui, a sophomore at Beijing Normal University, who led another team in the program said: "It's a great chance to cooperate with students from world-class universities, a news experience to most of us.

"What separates this program from various international programs nowadays is that we could actually do something meaningful with the most brilliant students in the world," Feng said.

Chen Guangju, deputy president of Beijing Normal University, extended his congratulations to students who participated in the program and expressed gratitude to teachers and staff who contributed to program.

In recent years, integrating education, first proposed by educators in the US, enables undergraduates to learn from people from different cultural backgrounds. It is gaining in popularity in China and across the world.

The program was praised by Tracey Wells, deputy director of the career center of Oxford.

"There are no foreigners here, there are only friends," Wells said.