Expats visit a village in Shaoxing on May 22. [Photo/sx.gov.cn]

A group of expats living in Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang province, was invited to tour villages in the city on May 22.

During this exchange activity, which was organized by the Shaoxing foreign affairs office and the Shaoxing Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the expats got to learn of the changes that have taken place in China's rural areas.

The group consisted of nearly 60 Shaoxing honorary citizens from 24 countries including the United States, Russia and Ghana, foreign entrepreneurs working in Shaoxing as well as foreign students studying in the city.

Fengyuan village, the delegation's first destination, is one of the first 3A-level scenic villages in Zhejiang province.

Wang Shiyun (Chinese name), who is from Madagascar and now studying Chinese calligraphy at Shaoxing University, said that the village has taken on a new look after visiting the photo exhibition which highlighted the contrast between the village's past and present.

The group subsequently visited Xinchangle village, which is renowned for producing pearls. The roads in the villages are paved with cement, and the houses are well designed and decorated.

A South Korean student whose Chinese name is Zhang Zaiyuan was amazed by the beautiful scenery and robust industrial growth in the village. He gave a thumbs up to the well-developed livestreaming economy in the village.