From 24 March to 2 April, 14 students studying Chinese as part of their degree and 4 learners from the Chinese extra-curricular language classes at Lancaster University participated in the China study trip run by the School of International Education at South China University of Technology and organised by Lancaster University Confucius Institute.

During the trip, the students spent four days visiting many historical and cultural sites in Beijing including the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, the Beijing Hutongs, the Olympic Park, the Summer Palace and more.

The students also got to experience a Chinese tea ceremony with tea tasting and Beijing cuisine such as Peking duck, Beijing style hotpot and炸酱面 Beijing noodles.

Following the excitement of Beijing, the group went on an eight-hour high-speed train from Beijing to Guangzhou. The train passed through many cities from the North to the South of China and the students enjoyed looking out of the window to see all of the different scenery.

In Guangzhou, the group was hosted by the School of International Education at the Wushan campus of South China University of Technology, Lancaster University Confucius Institute’s partner university.

In the mornings, the students attended Chinese language classes. The language classes helped the students to learn vocabulary and phrases and understand the etiquette related to the activities that they were doing later in the day such as greetings, shopping, asking for directions, being a guest at a Chinese family’s home, etc. The teacher also gave a tutorial on HSK 3 tests, helping the students to understand the question styles and techniques to help answer the questions.

After the language classes, the students participated in Chinese cultural activities such as kung fu, tie dye, painting opera masks, paper cutting, learning Chinese songs and trying on Chinese traditional clothing from different dynasties.

The group also engaged in friendly exchanges with Chinese students and international students at the International Campus of South China University of Technology.

These experiences gave the students a comprehensive understanding of the environment of the campuses and the education culture of Chinese universities.

In the afternoons, the group explored different places in Guangzhou such as the Chen Ancestral Temple, Guangdong Museum, Beijing Road Shopping District, having Cantonese afternoon tea together, going on a cruise along the Pearl River and visiting Chinese family’s homes.

For most of the students, this was their first time visiting China.

The group had a wonderful time in China practicing their Chinese language skills and learning about Chinese history and culture.

The trip made students excited and looking forward to their International Placement Year and wanting to experience more opportunities in China.

Thank you to everyone who helped the trip run successfully.