To make the transition easier for the primary school students, the City of Greater Bendigo held a welcoming ceremony at Bendigo Town Hall to officially greet the students and teachers from Suzhou.

The students will spend eight weeks in Bendigo, spread across 13 schools from Kangaroo Flat to Huntly and everywhere in between.

Mayor Barry Lyons addressed the gathering in the hall before posing in photographs with the eager and enthusiastic students.

He said the exchange program was a further extension of Bendigo's historic connection with China.

"We have been enriched by Chinese people who, along with thousands of others, were enticed by Bendigo's goldfields," he said.

"They experienced an arduous voyage on ship, followed by a 500 kilometres walk from South Australia."

A translator helped the students catch the meaning of the warm Bendigo welcome.

Following the formalities each of the students shook the hand of the mayor, who handed them a showbag from Uniquely Bendigo.

The bags included brochures explaining Bendigo's most popular tourist destinations and a small collection of items available at the Bendigo Visitor Centre.

Among the items was a boomerang, which brought a smile or two to the faces of the Chinese students.

Mo Shuyun, of Suzhou, spoke on behalf of the teachers and students, representing a number of schools in the city.

She said they appreciated the hospitality already afforded to them during their stay in Bendigo.

"It truly is an honour to represent the schools and to speak in such a beautiful place," she said.

The students are staying with host families from the school they will attend.

 The exchange program with the Suzhou region began in 2011, but was cancelled in its first year due to fears of the spreading swine flu.

The city immediately west of Shanghai, the Suzhou administrative centre has a population of more than 10 million people, making it the ninth most populous city in China.

Like Bendigo, the city is considered one of the most beautiful on mainland China and has often projected an image of wealth.

Bendigo primary school students will also have the opportunity to visit China as part of the cultural exchange program.