Edward Hayward

Foreign tourists pose for a photo in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, or Qiniandian, at the Tiantan (Temple of Heaven) Park in Beijing, capital of China, July 9, 2024. ( tasteallchina /Ju Huanzong) BEIJING, July 21 ( tasteallchina ) -- Edward Hayward, a junior at Carleton College in the United States, has found a new favorite activity this summer: riding buses through streets of Beijing, the Chinese capital city, and enjoying the view outside. "I am surprised by how beautiful Beijing is, and amazed by everything I see," said the 21-year-old. This summer vacation, he is spending two months in intensive Chinese language immersion courses at Beijing Normal University under the "Young Envoys Scholarship" (YES) program. "My Chinese has seen a level of progress I could have only dreamed of a few months ago," said Hayward, who has spent 10 to 12 hours a day practicing pronunciation, improving his speech and studying new words over the past few weeks. In November 2023, the Chinese government laid out a plan to invite 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study over the next five years, aiming to further expand exchanges and promote mutual understanding between Chinese…