Teenage crash victims were talented students

The Chinese teenagers who died in the San Francisco air crash on Sunday were excellent students who shared a deep love of the arts and went to the same high school.

Ye Mengyuan, 16, a student from Jiangshan High School, Zhejiang province, frequently scored high marks in tests, was a talented pianist and passed the level 10 exams, the highest national standard for pianists.

Her music teacher said she had a beautiful voice, according to the Beijing Morning Post on Monday.

She was talented in other fields as well. She recently won a national aerobics title.

Wang Linjia, 17, was class leader for three years in junior high school due to her leadership qualities, her teacher said.

Wang was also a gifted calligrapher and artist. Her calligraphy and drawings adorn her father's company.

The grieving families will leave for San Francisco on Monday.

The girls, from Jiangshan, had been sitting in the rear of the aircraft that departed from Shanghai on Saturday. Flight 214, a Boeing 777 jet carrying 307 people, including 141 Chinese citizens, crash-landed on approach to San Francisco International Airport.