China Cultural Center students try to perform shadow play during the Scholarship Trip to China in 2015. [Photo provided to Chinaculture.org]

Outstanding students from overseas China Cultural Centers today will embark on the 2016 Cultural Tour of China in Beijing.

Students from 18 overseas centers, including Cairo, Paris and Sydney, will first experience culture in Beijing and then explore it in their sister cities, respectively.

Beijing is the major destination of the tour. In Beijing, to get a closer look at China's traditional culture, students will visit ancient sites, including the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. Meanwhile, they will visit modern landmarks, such as the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. They also will listen to a lecture on Peking Opera, view a Chinese tea ceremony in the Laoshe Teahouse and observe craftsmen create traditional handicrafts like Beijing snacks, sugar figurines, paper-cuts and calligraphy. The tour will publicize China's deep-rooted traditions and impressive modernity, not only among foreign students, but far and wide.