A taste of culture

For Leonie Sajdik, the tour to Beijing is a reminder of the four and a half years she spent here when her parents worked in the city.

And that probably explains why the 16-year-old Austrian speaks Chinese in a Beijing accent.

"I really like Beijing as it boasts a rich heritage," Sajdik says.

"And the camp is a perfect chance for me to be in a city where I grew up."

Sajdik says she may apply for a Chinese university as her family thinks highly of the prospect of a China education.

The camp, a 10-day event initiated in 2008, offers foreign high school students an opportunity to visit museums, historic sites and Chinese families, practice calligraphy, paper-cutting or Chinese martial arts, and sample local cuisines like Peking roast duck.

Speaking about the camp, Mark van Couwenberghe, a board member of the Confucius Institute in Brussels, who has served as the leader of the Belgian group at the camp for the second time, says: "The schedule is very diverse."

And he believes the summer camp is better than a traditional class environment as the students get hands-on experience of traditional arts and crafts, and can build friendships with their peers from different cultural backgrounds.

"Their social skills also develop because they learn as a group," says Van Couwenberghe.

"So, everyone goes back home not only with knowledge but friendships that they can maintain for the rest of their lives."

He adds that the students who are taking part in the camp have already attended a number of workshops at the Confucius Institute in Brussels to have been exposed to Chinese Culture in anticipation of the tour.

"So, I hope they can open themselves up more to experience the culture, then comprehend both the differences and the common elements between China and Belgium," says Van Couwenberghe.