BEIJING -- A total of 160 youths from Taiwan are attending a summer camp in Beijing to learn about Chinese history and culture.

During the tour from July 8 to 18, college students and youths from Taiwan attended lectures, visited historical sites and enterprises invested by Taiwanese business people, tasted traditional food, and exchanged views with students from the mainland.

Ma Guoliang, secretary-general of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, said through such activities, Taiwan youths are expected to learn more about the social and economic development on the mainland, and increase their understanding of cultural traditions shared by the people on both sides of the strait.

The summer camp, organized by the Chinese Culture Institute, is in its 17th year. Over 17,000 students from Taiwan have taken part in the tour, most of whom had not been to the mainland before.