Student group from Wuxi visits Bocholt

A group of students from Jiangnan Middle School in Wuxi, China, visited the city of Bocholt from Sunday 29 June 2025 to Wednesday 2 July 2025. The occasion was the 40th anniversary of the declaration of friendship between the two cities in 2025. 43 students, five teachers and one organiser explored the Westphalian city and got to know the German education and everyday life system.

The first contacts were established in 1985 on the initiative of a Bocholt citizen. These were initially based on a purely economic orientation. It was not until the end of the 1990s that the school partnership between St. Georg-Gymnasium and Wuxi High School No 1 and the founding of the Deutsch-Chinesische Gesellschaft Bocholt e.V. (German-Chinese Society Bocholt) involved civil society in German-Chinese relations between the two cities.

Warm welcome at the Europa-Haus

The young people from Jiangnan Middle School Wuxi were accommodated in the Europa-Haus Bocholt. The 1st Deputy Mayor Elisabeth Kroesen warmly welcomed the guests on their arrival and gave them a comprehensive presentation of Bocholt's leisure activities and sights. She also provided information about the many different types of school and the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences - Bocholt Campus.

Experiencing everyday school life up close

Monday's programme included a visit to St. Georg Gymnasium. Headmaster Dr Martin Bachmann welcomed the Chinese guests in the staff room. The young people then had the opportunity to take part in lessons in English, geography, maths and art in small groups. This gave them an exciting insight into everyday school life in Germany.

Insight into university and business

On Tuesday, the group visited the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences. Two students showed the young people around the campus and explained the degree programmes on offer. This was followed by a company visit to BENNING Elektrotechnik und Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG, a specialist for clocked power supply units of the highest quality for installation in medical technology applications. Stefan Schlier, President of the German-Chinese Society Bocholt, gave a personal tour of the company and presented its products and working methods.

A joint ice cream evening with the German-Chinese Society Bocholt on Monday also familiarised the young guests with life in the city. The young people were impressed by the water feature on the market square in front of the historic town hall. A city rally, in which the cultural highlights of Bocholt were documented using selfies, rounded off the successful visit.

After their three-day stay, the young people continued their journey in the direction of Ratingen, another twin city of Wuxi. For the students from Wuxi, a metropolis with a population of 8.5 million, Bocholt's tranquil atmosphere provided a fascinating and striking contrast.