UK Prime Minister David Cameron visited a primary school in suburban Beijing on Nov.10 to underscore his support for education on climate change and launch the British Council's Expo Legacy Programme.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron visited Machikou primary school in suburban Beijing on Nov.10. [sina.com]

The Prime Minister was greeted at the Machikou primary school by Mr Jin Dehong, the school's headmaster, and Dr Rebecca Nadin, Director of the Global Climate and Sustanability Programme at the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy. He was led to a classroom where he observed a climate change awareness raising activity for students aged 10-12 led by three British Council "Climate Champions." Prime Minister Cameron then participated with the pupils and Climate Champions in a "Product Lifecycle Game" designed to promote energy efficiency.

At the game's conclusion, the Prime Minister delivered remarks that underscored the importance of tackling the effects of climate change and preserving the world's biodiversity. He also saluted the work of the British Council, whose Chair, Vernon Ellis, and China Regional Director, Joanna Burke, were in the classroom. The Prime Minster thanked the British Council for organizing the event and expressed his pride that a UK organization was undertaking such activities in China.

The Prime Minster then launched the British Council's UK-China Shanghai Expo Legacy Programme by presenting two students with a seed rod from the UK Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo. The UK Pavilion was awarded "Best in Show" and dubbed "the Dandelion" by the Chinese media for its design featuring 60,000 rods which each contained a distinct seed. The British Council's Climate Generation Expo Legacy Programme is distributing 1,000 seed rods from the Pavilion along with educational materials to schools across China as a tool for teachers developing biodiversity themes in their curriculum.

The two students who received the seed rod reciprocated by giving the Prime Minster a painting and two calligraphy scrolls which they had created on the theme of environmental protection. Before departing the school, the Prime Minster was also

treated to a musical performance by a student orchestra who played on traditional instruments the folk song, "The Fragrance of Osmanthus Perfumes the Autumn Air."

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