(The News, Islamabad) A 100-member youth delegation that visited the People's Republic of China under the Pakistan-China Youth Exchange Programme has returned from what they said was "a journey of love".

The group comprised girls and boys who had done extraordinarily well in their respective fields including those who won the Youth Award. The Chinese President announced the exchange programme during his 2004 visit.

Under this programme, five special study and interactive tours would be arranged for 500 youths from each country. So far two groups from China have visited Pakistan with the last one arriving in March. It was the second tour of the Pakistani youth. After their return home the Pakistani group members were asked to fill up opinion forms in which every member praised the hospitality extended to them in China as extraordinary. They termed their trip a great learning experience and said it provided them an opportunity to have an insight of a great nation.

The delegation started its journey with a visit to the Embassy of People's Republic of China in Islamabad where they met Ambassador Luo Zhaohui. On their arrival at the Beijing Airport, Wu Wei, Deputy Director and Tang Hao, programme officer of the International Department of All-China Youth Federation, received the group. The students said that the trip to the Beijing Forestry University was the most enlightening and educational. The current number of students enrolled at the university exceeds 20,000. The group was warmly welcomed by the university students and was entertained with a cultural show after an extensive visit of the campus.