HOUSTON, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-four Chinese students studying in the southernUnited Statesreceived the 2017 national awards for outstanding self-financed students abroad Saturday at the Chinese Consulate General in Houston.

Deputy Consul General in Houston Wang Yu presented the awards to the distinguished students, saying that people-to-people exchange, including educational exchange, is the basis of China-U.S. relations.

"Young people fromChinaand theU.S.should understand each other and learn from each other," Wang said. "I hope all of you will act as the constructors and messengers of China-U.S. relations."

Wang Yuan, a former PhD student at University of Alabama and now an assistant professor at Eastern  Kentucky University, told Xinhua that getting the PhD degree is a journey full of hardship and accomplishment.

"I feel so proud and grateful to have the award," he said. "I hope every PhD student will work hard and be persistent to finish their study and devote their contributions to the home country."

The Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad is a scholarship set up by the China Scholarship Council in 2003 to honor overseas Chinese students with outstanding academic accomplishments.

According to official statistics, 500 Chinese students studying abroad received the scholarship in 2017.