The 2023 Chinese Bridge Summer Camps for Youths of the Belt and Road Initiative Partner Countries started their tour of Shandong province on Aug 20.

The tour will run until Aug 29.

During the tour, 27 overseas students from 11 countries, including Poland, Italy, Slovakia, Albania, Somalia, and Kenya, will get to explore the province's traditional culture and unique delicacies.

A welcome party and musical concert held at Shandong University raised the curtain to the camp. During the summer camp, participants got to learn about aspects of traditional Chinese culture like the 24 solar terms, Chinese martial art, Confucius, and hanfu, a traditional Chinese style costume.

The camp aims to provide a platform for foreign students to better understand Chinese culture and for people around the world learning Chinese to communicate with each other.

The birthplace of Confucius, Shandong province has rich cultural and tourism resources. It is also home to four UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage sites, including Mount Tai, and 244 4A and 5A tourist scenic spots and 45 tourist resorts at the provincial level or above.

The students will also get to visit Daming Lake and historical streets in Jinan and three Confucius sites in Qufu during the tour.

Chinese students play erhu, a two stringed bowed instrument in China, at the opening ceremony for the Chinese Bridge Summer Camp at Shandong University on Aug 20. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

International students taking part in the Shandong leg of the Chinese Bridge Summer Camps pose for a photo on Aug 20. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

International students participating in the camp pose for a group photo with a martial artist at Shandong University on Aug 24. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]