Last weekend the last of the schools taking part in the 11th Annual China Study Camps touched down back in the UK after a 2 week trip to China. 27 schools from across England took part in the camps with 300 participants getting the opportunity to visit China.
All schools started their trip by visiting some of the most famous sights in Beijing. A visit to China would, of course, not be complete without seeing the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.
Portsmouth High School students at the Great Wall (photo from Portsmouth High School)
Benenden School and Alexandra Park School students visit the Forbidden City (photo from Benenden School)
After a few days of sightseeing in the capital, schools then journeyed on to their assigned province to begin their language and culture classes. This year schools were hosted by Heilongjiang University, Harbin; Shandong University, Jinan; Northeast Yuncai School, Shenyang and Changzhou Senior High School, Changzhou.
Whilst staying in their respective provinces, students attended Mandarin language classes, ranging from complete beginner to advanced level, and took part in a number of cultural classes. These included; tai chi classes, traditional Chinese tea ceremony, calligraphy, painting, Chinese paper cutting and knot tying.
Students take part in a tai chi class at Shandong University (photo from Altrincham Grammar School for Boys)
Schools also visited some of the local sites around their cities getting to learn more about the history and culture of that region. One of the most popular activities amongst the students was the homestay day. For one afternoon they visited the homes of local families and got to hang out with some Chinese students their own age. This was a great opportunity for them to practice their Mandarin skills as well as get to know more about average family life in China.
The end of the trip was celebrated with leaving parties and student performances before heading back to Beijing to fly back to the UK.
We are happy to see that students enjoyed their time on the trip immensely and many have already mentioned plans to visit China again in future!
If you are interested in reading more about this year’s China Study Camps you can visit the follow school blogs:
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Interested in joining the 2018 China Study Camps? – Applications will open in December 2017. Details will be published on the UCL IOE Confucius Institute website.
