Chengdu sets sights on international education

US first lady Michelle Obama joins in tai chi with students at the No 7 High School during her visit to Chengdu in late March. Wang Jing / China Daily

Chengdu aims to further open up its educational programs as it is "aiming higher toward good education with a global focus", said Huang Xinchu, the city's Party chief.

Major events and reforms in education put the city in the spotlight last year. It also got the attention of British Prime Minister David Cameronand US first lady Michelle Obama.

She gave a talk at No 7 High School in the capital of Sichuan province in late March during her high-profile visit to China.

The first lady made education the biggest concern of her seven-day trip. In Chengdu, she shared stories of her school days and talked with high school students about the importance of education.

In a travel journal entry on the White House website, Obama said she "thoroughly enjoyed" her stay at the school, where she took an English class and talked with students from rural schools through a distance learning system.

She said that the Chengdu school is "an extraordinary high school that uses the power of technology to bring educational opportunities to students across Southwest China".

When British Prime Minister Cameron visited a primary school in Chengdu late last year, he was also impressed by the school's English teaching methods.

Party Chief Huang noted that "what we can offer is beyond the basic stage where everyone has access to school education".

He said that the city government is developing Chengdu into an open and international hub.

"The future depends on young people. They need to have a global vision. We can give them that by training them in international standards," he said.

According to a statement from the municipal government, the city will step up efforts in opening up its education sector by developing projects in which students can learn more about the world.

The statement also said that the government is trying to make the city a center of international education in western China by 2020.

Chengdu hosted the Education Forum for Asia last year, the second time it was home to the event.