Rotorua Intermediate School has been awarded the inaugural 2012 Geyser Community Foundation Sister Cities Scholarship.
The value of the scholarship is $1000 and will go towards a trip by 49 of the school's Year 8 students to China in September.
Rotorua Intermediate teacher Stephanie Chand said the 12 and 13-year-old students will visit Jiangning High School in the Jiangning District.
Rotorua District Council has a friendship agreement with Nanjing City in Jiangning District.
Mrs Chand said the students will have the opportunity to experience real life learning of the culture and language of China to support their classroom learning.
"All of the students who are travelling have been studying Chinese for at least one year with the majority having studied the language for over three years while attending their previous primary schools."
"The students are also having extension Chinese language lessons to prepare for this educational trip and the supervising adults travelling with them are doing evening classes as well."
"Rotorua Intermediate School is very committed to this wonderful educational opportunity for our students and our visit will also strengthen Rotorua's relationship with Nanjing."
Rotorua Mayor Kevin Winters said the district council set up the scholarship with the Geyser Community Foundation in 2011. "Rotorua's links with Nanjing are multifaceted and have gone from strength to strength over recent years."
"It's our view that direct people-to-people contact between residents underpins the economic and cultural potential of our city-to-city relationships. Nowhere is this more evident than when young people of two very different communities are able to come together to share their cultures, language and life experiences."
Geyser Community Foundation chief Annette Burgess said the $1000 is given to an individual or group making contact with a sister city, or a city with which Rotorua has a friendship agreement.