Representatives from Otago Polytechnic, the University of Otago and Education Dunedin are heading to China, accompanied by Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin, following an invitation from the Shanghai Education Commission.
Mr Chin said the week-long trip was being paid for by Shanghai and would cost the city "nothing", but would help strengthen education ties between the sister cities.
The trip is one of a series of visits on which Mr Chin has accompanied representatives from the polytechnic and university and, on past trips, the Otago Chamber of Commerce.
Those organisations have praised the visits as valuable for developing business relationships.
The polytechnic had organised the details of the trip, and Mr Chin would be presenting an address to the Shanghai University of Engineering Science.
The focus on the education market in China was also in line with Prime Minister John Key's goal of doubling trade with China.
"That's not going to happen unless local authorities engage with their sister cities," Mr Chin said.
"Our strong point is education."
