ALL the way from the banks of the Yangtze River to a school in Runcorn, Chinese exchange pupils have been sampling education - and food - Halton style.

Year 11 pupils Lan Qin and Li Wang are three weeks into a four-week stay at St Chad's.

The two girls said they were enjoying themselves but the school was a lot smaller than they were used to -their school has 1,800 pupils and 60 pupils per class.

Li laughed and said that in Runcorn: "The classes have fewer people but they are more noisy!"

The girls come from Halton's Chinese twin town, Tongling, a copper mining town about six hours' train ride west of Shanghai, in Anhui province.

St Chad's has a well-established exchange programme with the town's number three high school. Headteacher Arthur Graley said the school website gets around 1,000 hits a week from curious Chinese pupils trying to improve their English.

In China, lessons run from Monday to Saturday and from 7am to 5pm-6pm, though there is a three-hour lunch break.

Lan said the relationship between teachers and pupils is better in Runcorn.

"Chinese teachers are not friendly," added Li.

The girls have also tried life outside of school. Mr Graley tried to introduce them to Italian and Indian food.

Li said: "We don't like Pizza!" When asked why she pulled a face and laughed: "The cheese!"

Lan said in general, they find western food very sweet and fatty.

The girls, like the majority of Chinese, come from a non-religious background and found going to church in Runcorn very strange.

Li said: "It was very old, and only older people go to church. Young people always go shopping!"

As citizens of modern China, they were also a surprise for the Runcorn pupils. Some had an outdated, rural image of China.

Li said: "They ask very strange questions. Does China have a motorway? Does China have a cinema? It's very funny."

Lan said: "They don't know China is developing very fast."

The girls have been joined by their teacher Qing Xiao. She has been teaching Runcorn pupils Mandarin - a language even the Chinese pupils say is harder to learn than English.

Qing said: "The pupils are all very friendly and more active in class. In China pupils are supposed to sit down and listen, that's all," she said.

And she added: "When we showed the Runcorn pupils videos of real Chinese life they were astounded."

Qing she said she hopes more Chinese pupils get the chance to visit because it is something they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Mr Graley said: "I think it's important for a school like ours to get to know people from other races and cultures, and to get to know them as individual people. I think in a very small way we are making a difference. If we all understood each other better it would result in a more peaceful world."