We hosted the annual Discover East Asia Conference on behalf of the DfES Aimhigher campaign and over two hundred students and staff from secondary schools across Leeds arrived for a day of exploration.

We organised the event to promote East Asian cultures and languages amongst students and this year's event boasted lots of exciting activities: specialist tutors ran Chinese and Japanese language sessions, pupils learned about Asian cultures during creative arts workshops in Taiko (Japanese drumming), traditional Chinese Dancing, Japanese silk painting, Tai Chi, Origami and Chinese Cooking.

Throughout the day, delegates enjoyed an impressive traditional kimono demonstration and an amazing array of performances by artists, including: Japanese and Chinese dance, a Peace Crane demonstration and presentations from keynote speakers about Taiwan, Japan, China and East Asia. Of course, the experience would not be complete without traditional Asian cuisine and everyone had the chance to sample authentic culinary delights such as sushi, prawn toast, dried seaweed and lychees. You can find out more about the event by visiting www.discovereastasia.com