The Confucius Institute organized a delegation of new Confucius Classroom principals which visited China from October 25 to November 2. This delegation included principals and senior leaders from Edmonton Public Schools. This trip was a great success and it provided the opportunity for the delegation members to gain a better understanding of Chinese education and culture as well as expereince first hand life in modern China. One principal mentioned that before going his image of China was that of the 1950s and 1960s but now current misconceptions have been erased.
The delegation visited Hanban offices and some historical sites in Beijing. The main part of the visit was in the province of Shandong, the partner to the Confucius Institute in Edmonton. Their they met with the Shandong Ministry of Education. Most importantly, all the principals had the chance to visit their partner schools to plan and discuss potential projects for enhancing interschool cooperation.
Many delegates indicated that they learned a lot from this visit. It was the first time that many of them had been to china, and what was learned will positively impact their work in the future.