US students and their parents join a cultural exchange program in Hai'an, Nantong, Jiangsu. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

The 2025 Bay Area Primary Students China Exchange Program is being held in Hai'an, Nantong, from June 16 to 27, bringing together young students and parents from the United States for an immersive cultural and educational experience.

Initiated by US educators and parents from West County Mandarin School in California, the program is a grassroots effort aimed at promoting youth exchanges between China and the US.

This year's exchange group includes eight students and seven parents. From June 16 to 27, the group will participate in classroom activities and cultural experiences at Hai'an Foreign Language School. From June 28 to July 6, they will visit key cities such as Nantong, Suzhou, Wuxi, and Shanghai before returning to the US on July 7.

As a fully community-led initiative, the program has already completed two successful pilot sessions: one in the summer of 2024, which brought four students to Beijing and Shanghai for visits to institutions like Huawei and Tsinghua University, and another in the winter, where students joined local primary schools in Nantong for three weeks of study. Both were met with positive feedback.

Plans are in place to make the program a regular offering for Chinese learners in the Bay Area, especially from Pinole to Berkeley, fostering deeper educational and cultural ties between the two nations.