TAIPEI? -- A delegation of mainland university students and teachers on Wednesday visited Taiwan University as part of an exchange trip to Taiwan.

During the visit, the delegation participated in group talks on education and youth with students of the university, joined by former Chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party Ma Ying-jeou.

After the talks, Ma led students and teachers from both the mainland and Taiwan on a tour of his alma mater's campus.

Hao Ping, secretary of the Communist Party of China Peking University Committee, led the visit and said that during the trip, the delegation was able to take in Taiwan's cultural and educational atmosphere, which they said felt very intimate.

The 37-member group traveled to Taiwan on July 15 at the invitation of the Taiwan-based Ma Ying-jeou Foundation. Dong Hwa University is next on their agenda.

It is the first exchange visit that mainland universities have paid to the island in over three years.