Forty-three 43 Chinese students from the quake-hit area of Chongqing arrived Monday night at 22:15 local time at Sofia airport, Bulgaria.

By the initiative and sponsorship of the Bulgarian government, the children, aging from 9 to 16 years-old, will spend 20 days in Bulgaria, recovering from the shock of the natural disaster which hit China on May 12 this year. Five days will be spent at the beaches of Kranevo, Black Sea, courtesy to the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science; 11 days in Ribaritsa, in a base of the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense; and the rest of the time - in a base of the Bulgarian Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, near the capitol Sofia.

Students have been chosen for this trip for the special bravery and valor they have shown during the time of danger. They were met at the airport by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Radion Popov, Chinese Ambassador to Bulgaria Zhang Wanxue, Bulgarian students who study the Chinese language, as well as many other friends from both sides.

(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2008)