|
Senior & Sixth Form News On 20th March, a group of students from Burgess Hill School for Girls, ranging from Year 7 through to the Upper Sixth Form, set off for two weeks exploring the sights of China in five different cities. The trip was organised by the School’s Registrar Miss Yudi Lowe and Yu Xiang, who teaches Mandarin at the School and who has run similar trips in past years. Yu Xiang’s knowledge of the country enabled the girls to see places that most tourists are unable to visit.
Some of the girls have been learning Mandarin for a year whilst others were beginners to the language, but all were able to pick up various words and phrases from the Mandarin lessons taught throughout the trip.
After spending a couple of days in Shanghai visiting the cloth market, where tailor-made clothes were ordered and bought, the famous Shanghai museum and a silk factory, the group took the Z8 overnight train to Beijing, where preparations for the Olympics are being finalised. The highlights in Beijing were Tian-anmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. Outside of the city the group climbed the Great Wall at Simatai where, as an added bonus, the girls were able to zipwire down across the scenic Miyun reservoir.
After arriving in Xi’an, the group visited the spectacular Terracotta Army museum where the thousands of unique statues of the terracotta warriors, who guarded the first emperor of China’s tomb, were displayed. In the city of Xi’an itself bicycles were hired and the group of girls enjoyed an 8 mile cycle around the city wall and then went to see a fountain show. The next city to visit was Chengdu, where the group visited the eagerly anticipated Panda Research Centre that cares for China’s ‘National Treasures’, the Giant Pandas, as well as a number of the smaller Red Pandas. Whilst at the centre, the girls were given the opportunity to hold an eight month old Giant Panda, which will be one of many long-lasting memories from the trip. Taking a scenic river cruise up the Yangshuo river near Guilin, the group were able to see some Cormorant fishing and visit the ‘Silver Cave’. As well as seeing these well known attractions of China, the students also went to an enamel factory, took part in a Tai Chi lesson and had painting lessons from a well known artist near Xi’an and again in Shanghai from a group of painters who specialise in traditional Chinese painting. The group visited a kindergarten and were also welcomed at two Chinese middle schools where the students gave small performances, took advantage of the opportunity to practise their English, and showed the girls around their school. The girls’ visits to these schools even made the local press! Trip organiser Miss Yudi Lowe said “This was a fantastic trip which gave the girls a new experience and understanding of the Far East. It was a trip of a life time for the group and along with the many hundreds of pictures taken, new memories and friendships were formed.”
17/04/08
Written by Kirsty Simons, Lower Sixth student |
