South Korean visitors pose for a group photo at Meili Ancient Town. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]

A 30-member South Korean youth delegation visited Wuxi from Aug 25 to 27 for an immersive cross-cultural exchange program.

The visit served as a key follow-up to Wuxi's cultural and tourism promotion push in South Korea this past June. Led by Woo Su-keun, president of the Korea-China Association, the delegation carried out a range of activities designed to foster people-to-people ties and expand the scope of educational and cultural cooperation between the two sides.

South Korean visitors try making Wuxi specialty food. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]

The itinerary included hands-on sessions on erhu-making — a traditional Chinese musical instrument — and folk music at Meicun subdistrict, the "hometown of erhu in China", along with tastings of iconic local dishes and a stroll through Meili Ancient Town. The delegation also visited Wuxi Kuangyuan Bilingual School to exchange with local students and toured a provincial robotics center to learn about the city's advances in smart manufacturing.

Historical highlights featured Huishan Ancient Town and a canal boat ride through the Qingming Bridge historical and cultural block. At the Cui Pu Monument, the students reflected on the long-standing historical connections between China and South Korea.

South Korean visitors pose for a group photo in front of the Wuxi Kuangyuan Bilingual School. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]

Local tourism operators said the program fits into a broader push to develop tailored products for the South Korean inbound market, including study tours and heritage experiences. Since the launch of the Wuxi Cultural Tourism (South Korea) Promotion Center in June, cooperation has gained traction, with visits from The Chosun Ilbo and the Busan Tourism Organization.

Data shows that in the first seven months of this year, Wuxi received over 20,000 overnight visitors from South Korea, its largest inbound source market. Authorities plan to use youth exchanges as a platform to raise the city's profile and sustain growth in South Korean arrivals.