2011 Excurision to the Orient a Success

china kids


Nine St. Benedict Prep High School students and two chaperones enjoyed an extraordinary Spring Break experience during a visit to China, touring Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai. We had the opportunity to tour some of China's most historical and culturally significant landmarks.

 

In Beijing, we enjoyed walking tours of the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, where they were able to view Chairman Mao Zedong's tomb. We also visited pearl and jade factories to learn about two of China's specialized jewelry exports. Additionally, we had the opportunity to tour a middle and high school which had 3,200 students and received a taiji lesson.

 

The highlight of Beijing was the chance to visit the Great Wall. The group had over two hours to explore and climb the Wall, a task that was quite a workout due to the steep inclines and uneven steps. After the Wall, we visited the Hutong, a historic Beijing neighborhood, where we toured in rickshaws before enjoying an authentic homemade Chinese dinner in a family's home.

 

After flying from Beijing to Xi'an, we were whisked to an art gallery to view beautiful works of art created by student artists and were taught how to paint letters from the Chinese alphabet, an experience that our students thoroughly enjoyed.

 

terra cotta warriors 

 

The next day held the jewel of Xi'an as we spent over three hours visiting and learning about the famed TerraCotta Warriors, a collection of over 8,000 manmade clay statues arranged to guard Emperor Qin's tomb. The statues were individually carved over 2,000 years ago and are being excavated and rebuilt by a team of archeologists.

 

Our final stop on the journey was Shanghai, China's most modern city, which has nearly 20 million residents. While in Shanghai, we visited the Jade Buddha Temple, Yuyuan Garden, The Bund, the Shanghai World Financial Center-China's tallest building and Nanjing Road, China's biggest shopping road.

 

The trip was tremendous and allowed our group to experience the nuances of Chinese culture, customs and cuisine in an educational and enjoyable environment.