International School (YCIS) Opens Education Park in Beijing

Yew Chung International School (YCIS) and Yew Wah International school students held a captivating ceremony to celebrate the inaugural stone-laying of the BP International Education Park (IEP) in Yizhuang District, an Economic Development Area in Beijing. The IEP, located next to the scenic Liangshui River, is the first of its kind in China and will accommodate both YCIS for overseas students and Yew Wah for Chinese local students. The two schools will be connected by the Scholars International Conference Centre that will promote cross-cultural learning and will be accessible to the greater Beijing community for seminars and other social and educational events.

The ceremony to lay the inaugural stone for IEP followed a theme of merging the East and the West featuring several musically diverse performances by YCIS Beijing students. The ceremony commenced with a powerful combination of Eastern and Western drums symbolising the uniting of cultures. The audience was then given the opportunity to view an introductory IEP movie trailer followed by two YCIS students announcing their dream to "see the world".

To make this dream a reality, those in attendance beheld a whole host of cultural performances. Primary school students from YCIS gave an elegant musical arrangement to represent China, including the Chinese string instrument 'the guzheng' and a number of young and talented violinists. The next show to delight the audience was an exquisite rendition of Italian Opera and to add a South American flavour to the proceedings, Secondary students from the Jazz Band at YCIS provided the beat for an energetic and passionate display of Latin dance.

IEP Co-Founders Dr. Betty Chan Po-king (also Director of YCIS) and Professor Paul Yip Kwok-Wah (also Board Director of YCIS) gave visionary speeches outlining the future of international education in China and throughout the world. Customary to China, the ceremony culminated with Professor Yip and Dr. Chan unveiling a foundation stone to mark the beginning of construction of the IEP.

It is believed that international education in Yizhuang will transform the Business Development Area and create a family community. Presently, over 100 multinational corporations are established in Yizhuang, and with a second Beijing airport opening in the coming years, the area is predicted to grow at an unprecedented rate.

Over 300 attendees from Beijing community, government, media, and YCIS Beijing greatly enjoyed the IEP foundation ceremony.

About YCIS Beijing Yizhuang Campus:

The Yizhuang Campus will have state-of-the-art facilities equipped with resources sufficient for an increase of students, staff, and families in Beijing area. IEP will be located on an area of 118,000 square metres, with YCIS Beijing Yizhuang Campus around 50,000 square metres. Upon eventual completion, the Yizhuang campus will be approximately four times the size of the current YCIS Beijing Honglingjin Campus. The Yizhuang Campus will provide a full stream education from Early Childhood to Primary to Secondary and follow the same educational programme as the Honglingjin Campus, and the same mission driven by the YCIS philosophy and objectives. The new campus will also given focus to eco-friendly features in and around the site of the school including the implementation wind turbines, material selection IQ filters to improve air quality and green landscaping.

Contact:

Yew Chung International School of Beijing
Thomas Stead, Marketing Officer
Tel: (86 10) 8585 1825
Email: info@bj.ycef.com
www.ycis-bj.com

Yew Chung International School of Shanghai
Hilary Claypool, Marketing Manager
Tel : (86 21) 6242 3243 x 133
www.ycis-schools.com