Over the Easter holidays, fourteen pupils travelled to China with the Head of Chinese and a history teacher for ten days of travel. The trip was organised as a language immersion experience, but it was also a great cultural insight into Chinese history and culture. Over ten days of travel and touring, the cities of both Shanghai and Beijing were thoroughly explored.

During the four days we spent in Shanghai, various activities and learning opportunities were planned for us, including two days of Mandarin classes, an evening watching the ERA acrobatic and theatrical performance, a visit to the Pearl TV Tower, the propaganda museum and an evening cruise down the Huangpu River. There were also multiple opportunities to shop, including the Yu yuan bazaar and The Bund. We had many opportunities to try Shanghai’s unique array of dishes, including hotpot, xiao long bao, and other delicacies.

After Shanghai, we had a memorable stop in Hangzhou, where we walked by the west lake, and stopped for lunch for a local favourite – braised pork with an assortment of side dishes. We then attempted to make tea using leaves picked from the fields we had explored earlier during the day.

We took a high-speed train to Beijing, the second part of our adventure. Here, we visited Aidi International School and spent the day with other GCSE students from Beijing. The following day we walked along The Great Wall where we enjoyed spectacular views, and tobogganed down after our exhausting climb. Dinner of Peking roast duck was a favourite amongst the pupils. We also explored the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City.


The trip was an amazing opportunity to learn about China and explore all its beauty, thanks to the meticulous organisation of the teachers, and wonderful people at the Learning Adventure programme.

Marianne (N)