Taieri College principal Christina Herrick will be one of 13 school leaders from around the country who will take part in the 11-day New Zealand principals' delegation led by Auckland's Confucius Institute.
"We put a premium on success at our school, so given the power of the Bric [Brazil, Russia, India and China] economies we have a responsibility to teach our students about China and its role in the world," Mrs Herrick said.
"New Zealand is uniquely positioned to be advantaged both by its proximity to China and by the New Zealand-hina trade agreement.
"I would like to think ... we can build an understanding of China, its people and its culture so that our students are better equipped to work in markets which have strong links with China."
On both a personal and professional level, she believed the delegation would help her understand how it felt to be immersed in a culture that was not her own.
It would also help her school assist Chinese pupils who were new to New Zealand and faced the same challenge.
"There is already a link between Dunedin and its sister city, Shanghai, and this visit to Shanghai amongst other cities will help to strengthen this link."
Besides visiting schools, the Chinese Language Council International headquarters and New Zealand businesses in China, the group will visit Tiananmen Square, the Olympic Games Bird's Nest stadium, the Great Walland the Confucius Family Mansion and Temple in Qufu.
Confucius Institute director and delegation leader Nora Yao said the schools participating were opening an important window for their pupils.
"People who learn about a foreign language and culture become more confident about their own."
The tour will begin on August 27.
