During September 18 and 19, the international education delegation of Townsville, Australia, headed by Mayor Ms Jenny Hill, came to Changshu for a friendly visit, so as to promote cultural exchanges between the two cities.

Townsville, located in the northern part of Queensland, Australia, is the state’s northern administrative, economic, industrial and commercial center. Covering an area of nearly 4,000 square kilometers, and enjoying a population of about 230,000, the city is well advanced in education, priding itself in James Cook University, Central Queensland University, many of its vocational and technical college, as well as public high schools.

During its visit to Changshu, the delegation made an extensive contact with educational facilities in the town, including, among others, the World Union College (Changshu), Changshu Institute of Technology, Changshu International School, Changshu Vocational Education Center, Jiangsu Changshu Middle School, Wen Tonghe’s former residence, and Confucian Temple. In the eyes of Mayor Jenny Hill, Changshu, is a typical Chinese city with a long history and culture, and carries an advanced educational philosophy. She expects the two cities to explore in-depth exchanges in the field of culture and education, and hopes to see students in Townsville winning more opportunities to come to Changshu.

In recent years, the friendly relations between Changshu and Townsville have been on a steady rise, displaying increasing frequent and close contacts. Actually, the two sides have jointly run concerts and photography shows, among others. During their visit, members of the international education delegation of Townsville paid a site visit to the 19 Degrees South Latitude: Friendly City Townsville Image Show held in the City Library.