Students at Shijia Primary School got a lesson in diversity on Monday when they met their new classmates - six wives of overseas diplomats.

The women arrived at the Dongcheng district school for the start of a special program that will see them study Chinese language, calligraphy and culture. They will also have plenty of time to hang out with their young study buddies.

At the opening ceremony, about 30 students spoke French and English to welcome Joan Chong Leung, wife to the ambassador of Mauritius, and Harriet K. Nyirenda, who is married to a Zambian diplomat.

The group also practiced writing the name of the school in Chinese characters.

Leung, whose family originally came from Guangdong province in South China, told students that Mauritius is a beautiful country with many flowers and birds, and that she is excited about communicating with them and becoming fluent in Chinese.

Fourth-grader Wu Yiran told METRO: "Teacher told us someone from Zambia will visit our school, so I checked and learned Zambia is in Africa. People there speak English and Lusaka is the capital."

The class is largely aimed at helping students at Shijia Primary School to learn about other cultures and broaden their global vision, said principal Wang Huan. "I hope in the future our students will be more open-minded and act as a bridge between Chinese and foreign culture exchanges," she added.

After being in Beijing for 10 months, Nyirenda said the time was right to improve her Chinese language level.

"It's a language that is used worldwide, and the rich culture and friendly people all make me want to study it," she said.

The other four women in the class are from Lesotho, Samoa, Rwanda and Tonga. They will study for one hour every Wednesday and Friday.