Shanghai Jincai Senior High School, the city's first boarding school at the senior high level, is allowing its 16 foreign students to stay in teachers' homes to help them master Chinese, the Wenhui Daily reported today.

In the past overseas students were only allowed to live in special dorms.

The International Department of the Shanghai Jincai Senior High School, located in the Pudong Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, chose eight teachers to host the 16 foreign students.

The 16 students, from South Korea and mostly under 18, came to China to learn Chinese and receive basic education under the Chinese system.

Their parents asked the school to arrange a living environment that would help their children become familiar with Chinese culture, said Zhang Lei, a teacher from the international department of Jincai.

The eight families chosen enjoy relatively comfortable living conditions, and in several cases their child is in university, Zhang said. They are eager to help the foreign students acquire Chinese and understand Chinese culture, she said.

Both the teachers and students are happy with the homestay arrangements, and the students are making great progress in Chinese and forming a good relationship with their host family.