On the morning of January 6, the opening ceremony of “Australian Chinese Teachers and Students ‘Spring City’ Tour” was held in Jingu Primary School of Hi-tech Zone. Mr. Yu Xiao, vice president and secretary-general of China Chinese Language Education Foundation, attended the activity and made a speech; Mr. Feng Shangwei, vice minister of the United Front Work Department of the Provincial Party Committee, director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the Provincial Party Committee and president of the Provincial Overseas Exchange Association, attended the activity; and Ms. Xu Yanfang, vice minister of the United Front Work Department of the Municipal Party Committee, director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the Municipal Party Committee and president of the Municipal Overseas Exchange Association, made a speech.

The opening ceremony was presided over by Mr. Ma Xindong, chief inspector of the Municipal Education Bureau.

Mr. Yu Xiao said that Chinese language education bears the important mission of inheriting and promoting Chinese culture, cultivating talents with excellent cross-cultural backgrounds, telling Chinese stories and spreading Chinese voices, and it is also an important force to promote the exchange and mutual understanding between Chinese and foreign civilizations and build a community with a shared future for mankind. Overseas Chinese language schools are the principal carriers of Chinese language education, and the activity of “Join Hands and Progress Jointly via Online Platforms” has set up a platform for overseas Chinese language schools to connect with domestic high-quality educational resources, and has further improved the level of internationalized school running in domestic schools. It is hoped that teachers and students from China and Australia will make good use of this platform to conduct in-depth exchanges, enhance understanding and establish closer ties. China Foundation for Chinese Language Education will actively promote Jinan's experiences, strengthen cooperation with local overseas Chinese affairs departments, pay attention to the dynamics of the “hand-in-hand” schools, and provide assistance as much as it can, hoping that more schools will participate in “hand-in-hand” activities in the future, and contribute to the transformation and development of Chinese language education in the new era. 

At the opening ceremony, Mr. Feng Shangwei presented souvenirs to Australian teachers and students. Representatives of teachers and students from Australian Chinese language schools, comrades in charge of Hi-tech Zone Dongcheng Yijia Education Group and Hi-tech Zone Jingu Primary School made speeches. Teachers and students from China and Australia put on a cultural performance and exchanged gifts. After the opening ceremony, Australian teachers and students entered Jingu Primary School and Dongcheng Yijia Middle School successively to carry out exchange activities. Through this activity, teachers and students from China and Australia deepened their understanding and friendship, shared educational ideas and teaching resources, and expressed their expectation for more in-depth exchanges in the future, and jointly contributed to the development of Chinese language education.

About 300 people participated in the activity, including Mr. Li Zidan, administrative director of China Chinese Language Education Foundation, responsible comrades from the United Front Work Department of the Provincial Party Committee (Overseas Chinese Affairs Office), United Front Work Department of the Municipal Party Committee (Overseas Chinese Affairs Office), Municipal Education Bureau, and relevant offices (departments) of the High-tech Zone, as well as representatives of teachers and students from China and Australia.