For Lorraine Mwanza, a Zambian journalist with MISA Zambia Chapter, designing a hat at the Headwear Museum of Nantong was more than a hands-on experience.

"It's part of art. You can come up with anything to design a hat," she said. "It starts with a dream."

The dream reaches far beyond the museum. Her visit to China is a chance to see what hard work has built, and to take that story home. She hopes sharing it in Zambia can motivate or encourage more people to work harder and achieve what China has achieved.

That, she said, is exactly what cultural exchange means: "You come and see what they've done, and you go back with a story home."