Some 100 overseas Chinese teenagers from the Laos began their Xishuangbanna 2010 “Root Seeking” summer camp yesterday (July 21) in Mengla county, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province. The summer camp was held by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office and United Front Department of Mengla.

As part of the summer camp, the teenagers visited Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) on July 21, which provided them an opportunity to deepen their understanding of folk cultures and colorful plants in Xishuangbanna.

The summer camp provided a platform for the teenagers from Laos and Chinese students involved  to learn and communicate with each other, and get a better understnding about their ancestral homeland and its profound culture, especially the unique culture of Xishuangbanna.

The students were shown around the living collections within XTBG, which gave them field experience of learning plants. They also listened to a lecture on forest cultures of the ethnic groups in Xishuangbanna and the efforts made by XTBG to protect the precious tropical rainforest and biodiversity.