"The program opened a window that allows me to see Beijing more clearly," says Chen Yuxiao, a 15-year-old senior middle school student. "I walked across the axis every day on my way to school, but I didn't realize there were so many interesting stories about it."

Yang Hongli, a mother who plans to send her 11-year-old twins to study abroad next year, says she wants to provide them with a solid grounding in local history before they leave by taking them to as many museums in the capital as possible.

She encouraged her children to register with the program, hoping that "they would learn more about the history of Beijing and have many interesting topics to talk about with their foreign friends abroad".

Yang Dandan, a spokesperson for the Capital Museum, says she found that when many of the Chinese students return home from overseas during summer vacations, they are eager to digest information about the city when they visit the Capital Museum so they can share historical anecdotes with their foreign friends.

"These students are anxious to travel abroad but still lack knowledge about their hometown," says Yang. "So we designed a program that will help young people learn more about their own culture and history in a short period of time.

"I hope they can be a bridge for cultural exchanges between China and the outside world."

Li Qirong, who used to serve as a volunteer guide at the Capital Museum when she was a student at Beijing No 4 High School, has answered Yang's expectations.