On the 18th October 2018, thirteen students from Newstead Wood School were accompanied by two teachers on a highly memorable trip to China. To benefit our Chinese studies for our Chinese GCSE, we were whisked away to Beijing and Xi’an, China for a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Firstly, we journeyed to Xi’an, enjoying a relaxing bike ride around the ancient city walls of Xi’an, taking in the scenic view of the city. Then we visited Ancient China’s Terracotta Warriors, strolled through the Muslim quarter and haggled at the market. We experienced a great deal of the culture in Xi’an and learnt a lot about its intriguing history. It was most definitely a great first day!
Secondly, we rode a bullet train from Xi’an to Beijing and met up with our host families, whom we had spoken to prior to meeting. We went two days talking to our host families in Chinese and got to experience a typical day in the life of student in China.
Serena Patel, a student at Newstead Wood School commented on her experience of staying with her host family stating, “Home life in China is completely different to life in England. It was fun to see a different view of life!”
Brilliant weather brought a positive atmosphere on the trip to Summer Palace, as we were accompanied by a few of the exchange partners the next day. The views were magnificent as the sun bounced off the crystal waters and the vibrant colours radiated from the buildings. As we returned to the school and said our final goodbyes to our exchange partners, we felt it was a great once-in-a lifetime opportunity and that our Chinese had improved after the two days! We then made our way to an acrobatics performance where we all sat on the edge of our seats as we watched the acrobats perform many impressive stunts.
The next morning, we visited Tianmen Square, the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park. There were long walks and we climbed many steps, but it was all worth it to see all the amazing sites. Subsequently, we visited Beijing zoo where we saw many adorable pandas and other amazing animals. After admiring the animals, we used our haggling skills at Hongqiao Pearl Market, Beijing’s famous market, to strike ourselves some great deals!
On our final day, we climbed the Great Wall of China and the Olympic Stadium. It was eye-opening to learn about the Great Wall’s history and we all took in the astonishing views after climbing to the top of both the Great Wall of China and Olympic Stadium. We were all very sad for it to be our last day of what we believed to be the best and most educational trip.
As the trip came to an end, we found ourselves to have grown as people, with memories that will last a lifetime and a real improvement in our Chinese. It was an experience we will never forget.
