CHILDREN from a Westbrook primary school have packed their bags for the adventure of a lifetime.

Ten boys from St Philip’s CE Primary School, Westbrook and their teachers left last weekend for an amazing adventure to Xian in China.

It follows a visit to the UK from children at sister school Huanghe Splendid Primary School more than a year ago.

The youngsters flew from Manchester, even sharing a plan with members of the England rugby league team, bound for Beijing where they caught a bullet train to Xian.

In preparation for the trip, they have been learning Mandarin Chinese since before the summer holidays.

They have been practising their new language by using Chinese when talking to each other. Other children in school have also been having Chinese lessons in an after-school club.

During their time in Xian they have visited Huanghe Splendid Primary school and have tried Chinese calligraphy and fencing.

The children have eaten in the school canteen as well as local restaurants.

They will be seeing places of interest in the city, especially the Terracotta Army.

A spokesman said: “This wonderful experience for both St Philip’s children and their Chinese students was organised by True Education Partnerships. What a wonderful opportunity to experience a culture which is different to our own but to see that children are still the same even if living at different ends of the earth.”