Overseas students visit a manufacturing factory of ZWZ Group, a bearing giant of China. [Photo by Sun Qi/ for chinadaily.com.cn]

One hundred overseas students from five universities in Dalian visited Wafangdian, Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning province, Friday and Saturday.

By visiting factories, museums, farmlands, and scenic spots, they could appreciate the city's vigorous development from different perspectives.

The visit was part of the Perceiving China program organized by the China Scholarship Council. Activities in Dalian were co-sponsored by the publicity department of the CPC Dalian Committee and Dongbei University of Finance and Economics (DUFE).

The students come from 35 countries and all got scholarships from the CSC, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Ministry of Education that provides financial assistance to Chinese wishing to study abroad and foreigners wishing to study in China.

"Usually, the overseas students stay in the classes. There are not enough chances for them to visit local communities and rural areas," said Ren Wei, an official with the International Education College of DUFE.

"By taking part in such activities as Perceiving China - Charming Wafangdian, they can see the economic growth, the cultural heritage, and beautiful scenery there. Thus, they could have a deeper understanding of China," he said.