A train, loaded with students from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and Shenzhen, leaves Luohu Railway Station in South China's Guangdong province on July 14. [Photo by Wu Zixin/sznews.com]

A train, loaded with students from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and Shenzhen, left Luohu Railway Station in South China's Guangdong province on July 14, marking the start of their tour to Northwest China.

The 14-day tour, aimed at cultural exchanges, departed from Shenzhen and will go to Xi'an and Yan'an in Shaanxi province, Dunhuang and Zhangye in Gansu province, as well as Turpan and Kashgar in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

A batch of renowned natural, historical, and cultural landscapes will be visited as part of the tour, including the Terra-Cotta Warriors, the Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring scenic area, the Mogao Grottoes, the Mountain of Flames, and Zhangye Danxia Geopark.

More than 500 students from the four regions are taking part in the tour.

Students, who are embarking on a tour to Northwest China, board the train under the guidance of teachers and staff members of Luohu Railway Station. [Photo/sznews.com]

He Yucheng, a student from Shenzhen Luoling Foreign Language Experimental School, said that he looked forward to visiting Dunhuang most due to its mysteriousness.

"The event can exercise students' self-care and teamwork abilities,"said Ning Xuemei, a teacher from Shenzhen's Huangpu School. She also encouraged Shenzhen students to take the initiative in communicating with students from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan to help them better integrate with the group.

A group photo of students on the train [Photo/sznews.com]

Sponsored by the Shenzhen Youth Federation, the event has been conducted for 10 consecutive years, attracting more than 8,000 people to take part in it. It also has become a brand project of the Shenzhen committee of the Communist Youth League of China and the Shenzhen municipal Party committee.