More than 470 college and middle school students from Taiwan Provicne  met with their Beijing counterparts Monday to start a week-long exchange program in the capital city.

Sponsors hope the program will strengthen young people's affection for their motherland and promote understanding between Beijing and Taiwan youth. This is the fifth such program since 1999, and more than 1,000 Taiwanese students have participated so far.

The Taiwan Affairs Office of the Beijing municipal government, Fengtai District government and Beijing Municipal Science Association are sponsoring the program.

At the opening ceremony, the students signed their names to the slogan, "Meeting in 2008" to express their wishes for 2008 Olympics, which will be held in Beijing.

Students from 14 colleges and middle schools in Taiwan Province are participating.

They will visit sites of historical interest in the national capital and join in such activities as literature reading, folk music performance, handicraft display and speeches on the Olympics, space exploration and folk cultures.

(Xinhua News Agency July 12, 2004)