China Trip 2018
CHINA TRIP 2018
Near the end of September 2018, 27 students and 3 teachers, embarked on a trip to China. We spent a total of 16 days, experiencing the Chinese culture, and food, through its people.
Our first stop was Xiamen, China’s greenest city, where we immersed ourselves into the life of a student, at one of China’s most prestigious universities, Xiamen University. We slept in dormitories, ate our meals at the dining hall, and walked to all our classes. We also learnt a lot about the Xiamen history, through our culture classes and off campus trips. Although the weather was above 30 degrees at the peak of midday, we all enjoyed our first taste of China.
Our second stop was Beijing, where we spent our time learning of China’s history, both traditional and modern. We went to many well known places including; the Forbidden City, the Confucius Headquarters, the Imperial Scholars College Campus and Confucius Temple, and finally, The Great Wall. We also had to use our newly taught mandarin and bartering skills in the local Beijing shopping district, where we were almost overwhelmed by the level of determination of the sales ladies.
Our third stop was Xu Zhou, where we experienced the lifestyle of a Chinese family. Each student was paired with a host family, where we were warmly welcomed and treated as a part of the family. We fully immersed ourselves into the daily life of a Chinese student, and were encouraged to try all of the traditional food and customs which make China what it is. As we moved to our fourth, and final, stop, many people were sad to say goodbye to our lovely host families.
Our final stop, Shanghai, was the most anticipated part of the trip. This was where we spent an entire day at Shanghai Disneyland, where everyone enjoyed, the rides, parades, music and final fireworks show. It was an amazing way to end the trip.
During our time away, both the students and teachers were able to have a once-in-lifetime experience, visiting all of these amazing Chinese monuments, and the memories created by everyone on this trip will stay with us forever.
By Jemma Barnes
WHS student