Ni hao (hello) from China!

This week several Year 9 and 10 students have participated in our first ever China trip, travelling to Beijing and Xi’An.

We began the trip in Beijing, the country’s capital, where students were able to explore the traditional hutong alleyways, visit the Temple of Heaven, and learn about Chinese tea culture and music in a tea ceremony.

After Beijing, we took a bullet train to Xi’An, where we have spent the past several days. Over the weekend, students had the opportunity to meet with pen pals that they had corresponded with in recent months. While some were anxious about this meeting initially, many students said this afternoon with pen pals and their families has been the highlight of their trip so far! The following day we were able to visit our pen pals’ school and see classes in session and receive special lessons in music, Chinese paper cutting, and kung fu.

In recent days we have continued our explorations of the city of Xi’An, getting to see the Muslim quarter, a Buddhist temple, and the famous Terracotta Warriors. On Thursday morning we take an early train back to Beijing, where we will cap off our sight seeing with trips to the Forbidden City and a whole-day hike of the Great Wall.

Spirits remain high as students are embracing this incredible opportunity to be immersed in Chinese culture! 

Please enjoy looking through the photos from our trip in the gallery below: