Students from China's earthquake areas arrive at the "Ocean" All-Russia Children's Care Center in Vladivostok, Russia, on July 23, 2009. A total of 550 children from southwest China's earthquake areas flew to Russia's Far East on Thursday for a three-week rehabilitation program at the invitation of the Russian government. [Xinhua]

More than 500 children from southwest China's earthquake zone arrived in Russia's Far East on Thursday for a three-week rehabilitation program.

At the "Ocean" All-Russia Children's Care Center some 35 km away from downtown Vladivostok, the children -- 340 from Sichuan, 100 from Shaanxi and 110 from Gansu -- will study Russian, and learn songs, dances and handicrafts. They also will meet some Russian children.

The magnitude-8 earthquake struck Sichuan and the neighboring provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu on May 12, 2008, leaving more than 87,000 people dead or missing and more than 370,000 injured.

Lyubov Drozdova, vice governor of Russia's Primorsky Krai, told Xinhua that this is the second time the province has received quake-affected children from China.

She said that she hoped the children would enjoy a happy time, as the Primorsky Krai will deeply impress them.

The children are aged from 10 to 16, said Yu Jihai, an official with the Chinese Education Ministry who was heading the group. They have learned some Russian during a 10-day training before coming here, he said.

Yu said last year's rehabilitation program was very successful and helped the children cope with their sad experiences. He believed that through this year's rehabilitation program the Chinese and Russian children will have more exchanges.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev last year during a visit to China invited students from quake-hit areas to take rehabilitation programs in his country. A total of 1,570 Chinese children will take part in the programs over two years.