The Duke of York is undertaking a nine-day visit to China, which will include events in Beijing, Shenzhen and Fujian. The visit will encompass His Royal Highness’s three core areas of focus; Education and Skills, Entrepreneurship, and Science, Technology and Engineering
Day One
On the first day in Fujian, The Duke of York visited the Fuzhou Planning and Exhibition Hall to learn more about the historic city that was founded in 202 BCE. Covering an area of 15,000 square metres and comprising of 10 exhibition halls, the Hall provides general information on Fuzhou, its history and its development.
At Fujian Normal University (FNU), His Royal Highness was welcomed by the President of the University, Professor Wang Changpin. The Duke, who is Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield, toured the campus and met a number of students, including exchange students from the University of Huddersfield, which is partnered with FNU.
The Duke also presented a number of FNU students with ‘The Duke of York Scholarship’, which will enable the students from FNU University to spend time studying in Huddersfield during their undergraduate degree.
To finish the day His Royal Highness met with Yu Weiguo, Party Secretary of CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and other Provincial Leaders from Fujian Province. Following the meeting, The Duke, witnessed the signing of a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Huddersfield and Fujian Normal University. Finally HRH attended a dinner hosted by the Party Secretary.
Day Two
On the final day in China, The Duke of York hosted a Fujian-UK Higher Education Roundtable. Representatives from UK Universities joined representatives from Fujian Higher Education Organisations to discuss how they can work together to increase collaboration in education between the UK and China.
His Royal Highness then visited the Chunlun Tea Group Exhibition Hall in Fujian and learnt how the world-famous Fuzhou Jasmine Tea is made, before attending a traditional tea tasting ceremony.
Covering an area of about 2.67 hectares, the Chunlun Tea Group includes a tea culture museum and a traditional craftsmanship area.
The Duke then had the opportunity to see the Sanfang Qixiang ‘Three Lanes and Seven Alleys’, which is a historic and cultural area that is celebrated as an architectural museum of Ming and Qing Dynasty buildings and has been added to China’s tentative list for World Cultural Heritage.
Finally, His Royal Highness visited Rong Qiao Sedbergh School in Fuzhou to present Bronze and Silver iDEA Award Certificates.
The school provides bilingual education to students from kindergarten to grade 12 for Chinese and foreign nationals, and will be able to accommodate up to 2,700 students in the future.
