'Foreigners' View of Jiangsu' experience tour comes to Xuzhou

In the wake of its success in Wuxi's Yixing county, the information office of the Jiangsu provincial government kicked off the "Foreigners' View of Jiangsu" Xuzhou Trip - Han Culture Experience Tour in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province on Oct 20.

The three-day tour introduced Han culture to 26 foreigners from 17 countries, many of whom were new to the city and its culture.

"We hope the tour will help more foreigners understand better the culture of Jiangsu. Xuzhou is an important place to breed the culture of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220) throughout Chinese history. So we include the city on our destination list," said Xuan Yunfeng, official of the provincial information office.

After having gained a deeper insight into local historic relics, foreigners were surprised to see that the city had unique terracotta warriors from the Han Dynasty, different in shape and size from similar relics of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) found in Xi'an.

Scott Bray, an editor from a magazine company headquartered in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, said that the "Foreigners' View of Jiangsu" experience tour is an excellent opportunity to help foreigners get to know Jiangsu better and reduce stereotypical thinking.

"Jiangsu, especially Xuzhou, is a beautiful place. I hope more friends will come and know what Jiangsu is really like," he said.

Since July in 2010, the Jiangsu provincial government has organized similar trips to more than 20 places in the province in hope of helping foreigners living in the province learn about local culture and enrich their lives in China.

"Foreigners' View of Jiangsu" Xuzhou Trip-Han Culture Experience Tour starts on Oct 20. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]