Thirteen teachers and students from George School in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, began a five-day cultural exchange visit to Shanxi province on Monday, touring the Hanging Temple in Datong on their first day in the region.

First built during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), the temple is one of China's rare surviving sites where Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism coexist within a single structure. It is built into a cliff face above a gorge in Hunyuan county, a feat of ancient engineering that made an impression on the visiting group.

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"Different people each bring their own strengths, and only when they come together can such an amazing work be created," said Khalil Shaheed, a student visiting Datong for the first time. "If we only clung to our own perspectives, the miracle of the Hanging Temple would never have come into being."

That evening, the group walked the Datong ancient city wall, taking in the city's night skyline.

The visit is part of an initiative to bring 100,000 young Americans to China for exchanges and study over the coming five years. Over the remaining days, the group will visit the Yungang Grottoes, Pingyao Ancient City, and Jinci Temple, and take part in a joint session with local university students exploring Chinese folk music and Western music.

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The event was co-hosted by the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Shanxi Province and China Daily Youth Channel, and co-organized by the Shanxi Provincial Education Department and the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League of China.

Li Jialu contributed to this story.