Scotch College

China cultural tour success

The two week culture and language tour of China, over the term 3 vacation, was a great success.

Twenty-two students ranging from Yrs 8 to 11 were accompanied by Mr Liu, Mr Pallot and Mr Zhang. The first place we visited was Beijing, where we stayed at the Bei Da Fu School, which is affiliated with Beijing University.

During our stay in Beijing we visited the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, Beijing Zoo, and more. Our stay in the school was a tremendous experience, as we visited some Chinese classes, practised Tai Chi, participated activities with the students, and visited their homes for a meal and stay. All these activities gave us plenty of opportunity to practise and develop our spoken Chinese.

Souvenir shopping was a favourite of everyone and the number of shops and street stalls meant that everyone bought a few things such as ornamental swords, CDs and, clothes. In no time, the trip was half over and we were on a 27 hour train trip south to Gueiling. Gueiling is famous for its magical rock formations (mountains and caves) made by water over thousands of years. We cruised the Li River absorbing the scenery and relaxing. One evening we cruised on the Li River watching traditional lantern lit fishing, using cormorant birds.

With only three days left we were in Hong Kong, where we visited a theme park, the famous Stanley Market and ferried to the Portuguese colony of Macau. Before we knew it, we were at Tullamarine, with great memories of a fascinating land. David Valmorbida (Yr 9) and Blair Johnston (Yr 10).