The intrepid travellers spent nine days in the cities of Shanghai and Suzhou, shopping in bustling marketplaces and attending school lessons taught entirely in Chinese. 

Trip highlights for Golden Square Primary School grade 6 student Cody Draasima included the chance to try cuisine not commonly available in Australia.

“I ate pigeon, chicken feet, neck of duck,” he said. 

He was also struck by the subterranean train system, which he described as easy to navigate. 

Specimen Hill primary school teacher Scott Pysing, who accompanied students to China, said seeing how schools in the Asian country operated was eye-opening. 

“Our school has around 300 students. Their school had about 2000 kids,” he said, also explaining classroom lessons were more teacher-centred than in Australia. 

About 60 students and staff from more than a dozen Bendigo schools took part in the trip. 

It is the third consecutive year the school groups have visited the Asian nation, reuniting with Chinese exchange students who have previously spent two months in Bendigo schools.

The Bendigo students study Chinese at their home primary schools and the tour is designed to expose them to authentic language and cultural experiences.