A Sinologist shares her story about China during the opening ceremony of the 2016 Visiting Program for Young Sinologists at the National Library of China on July 6, 2016. [Photo provided to Chinaculture.org]

The 2016 Visiting Program for Young Sinologists kicked off with an official opening ceremony at the National Library of China on Wednesday, July 6, 2016.

During the two-week program, 31 Sinologists from 26 countries, including the US, Australia, France, Japan and South Africa, will conduct research and study in several institutes in Beijing and visit China's Anhui province to study local rural culture.

Hosted by the China Ministry of Culture (CMC) and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the program has successfully hosted the program three times since 2014 and received very positive feedback.

Last July, 36 Sinologists from 30 countries were enrolled in the program to study in Beijing. As applicants keep growing, the organizer expanded the program this year from Beijing to Shanghai and Xi'an, accepting more than 100 Sinologists in total.

"China is no more a tourist destination for me and I am no longer a tourist," said Anita Koetse, 32, a writer and editor from the Netherlands, who first came to visit China when she was 16. "After years of studying, China has become a home to me."

Through this program, Koetse hopes to deepen her understanding of China and to introduce China to young people in her country through her website, What's On Weibo, which follows trending topics in China.