SHANGHAI: It's the financial hub of China and a top tourist destination.

Now it seems Shanghai is becoming a favorite choice among foreign students for summer camp.

Students from the UK, Canada, Australia, France and New Zealand are getting a cultural taste of China through special exchange programs.

Yi Yuan, a senior consultant from Shanghai Foreign Service Co Ltd, one of the 14 authorized companies offering educational exchange services between China and other countries, said the trend was "ignited by the rising enthusiasm for China and Chinese culture among the foreigners".

Wu Peng, the PR manager of Shanghai Concert Hall, said that music summer camps last year, collaborating with Canadian and French schools, were a very popular option among foreign and local students.

Due to overwhelming popularity, the Concert Hall has planned activities next month, collaborating with young German musicians.

The number of British students attending the summer camps in Shanghai is doubling on a year-on-year basis, according to the British Council Shanghai Office.

"This is the fourth time for the British Council to organize students from UK to visit Shanghai and communicate with the local students," project spokeswoman Hua Rong said.

She added that the average age of the students applying for the camp was getting younger.

A contingent of 103 students from eight UK schools is visiting this year, the highest number yet. Last year the camp program attracted just 50 students.

Visiting students have shown great interest in the programs.

Frazer Pothecary, a 17-year-old student from Manor School in the UK, said: "I was fascinated by noble and beautiful acting and singing in the Kunqu Opera, a multi-century-old art form in Chinese culture."

Other favorite activities included a martial arts program at the Shanghai University of Sport with local students from Jincai High School and visiting scenic spots like Pearl Tower and traditional Chinese gardens in Shanghai and Suzhou.

(China Daily 07/26/2007 page5)