Eleven students from World College, west of the United States, kissed their newly-made Chinese fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters “ZaiJian”(goodbye), tears in eyes, when leaving Jiangwan Township, in Shanghai suburbs. These students, who are studying on a program of international relations, are believed to be the first hatch① of foreign students to live with Chinese village families.

The students stayed in the village for two months. At daytime, they were given Chinese language and history courses in the village classroom and took part in agricultural practice in the fields. They spent the rest of their time with the peasants, carrying water from wells, making a fire for cooking, even feeding babies.Mr. Carlos liked to take little children for a ride in bicycle whereas Mr. David often played cards with his young Chinese friends. Miss Tracy, a pretty l9-year-old girl, concentrated her enthusiasm on giving English lessons to pupils at Jiangwan Primary School. Mr. Richard with his video camera② finished a TV documentary③ about Chinese village life.“We like the life here. It's so quiet, so plain, yet so interesting,”said Miss Sandra, one of the students.

Lunch time was the most enjoyable for both guest and host. They talked about everything that interested them. The villagers regarded these students as their own sons, daughters, brothers, or sisters.“This new form is also beneficial④ to ourselves,”said Xu Hongming, Deputy Director ⑤ of Jiangwan Township. “We are looking forward to welcoming more foreign students to come here.”

Indeed, the students not only learned Chinese, but also knew more deeply about China within the two months. “We've learned a lot which we couldn't just at Chinese colleges,” said Miss Nona from Canada. When asked about the purpose of going to China and staying with Chinese villagers, Tracy showed her several articles published in an American newspaper:“Living, studying and learning to accept and work within another entirely different culture is an important aspect⑥ of every society. Communication, understanding, and above all, love are imperative⑦ for world peace.”

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