The groundbreaking ceremony for the Chengdu Westminster School was held April 9 in Shuangliu District. As the first overseas branch of the UK-based Westminster School, it is scheduled to be open in the fall of 2020.

Founded in 1179, the Westminster School is a leading academic school and one of the original nine public schools in England. It is the cradle of numerous Nobel laureates, British prime ministers, thinkers, scientists and artists in the past roughly 900 years.

Besides the one already under construction in Chengdu, 5 others, which will admit students below 18 years old, will be established in the country's Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou within 10 years.

The Chengdu school will employ excellent Chinese and foreign teachers, nearly half of whom are from the UK, and currently some teachers are at the Westminster School for training. It will integrate the educational philosophy and teaching methods of the Westminster School with China's curricula, so as to cultivate students with global vision and Chinese cultural literacy.