Page 20 - Priorities #68-Summer 2017

Fifteen curious, dynamic, gain prosperity, and find love.
and adventurous Priory high school students, led by Mandarin teacher Wei Kelly and Math teacher
Andrew Lee, engaged in a careful- ly crafted and eventful expedition to southern China to explore what it means to be a globally-aware citizen. By personally immersing themselves into the Chinese cul- ture, history, and modern develop- ment, students had the opportunity to deepen their understanding, em- pathy, and respect for cultures and people that may be different from their own experiences.
Throughout each of the three
cities, our group had a knowl-
edgeable tour guide that shared
relevant information about the
specific city they were in, as well
as showed us many natural and cultural heritage sites. In Cheng- du, we climbed up many stairs to one of the oldest and most fa- mous Taoist Temples in China located at the peak of Qingcheng (“Azure Castle”) Mountain, and visited one of Chengdu’s his- torical and cultural reserves, Kuan Zhai Xiang Zi (“Wide and Narrow Alleys”), where old lodges, ancient teahouses, and the courtyard culture of Chengdu were refurbished and preserved. In Lijiang (“Beautiful Lake”), everyone took in breathtaking landscapes such as the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which in- cludes one of the southernmost glaciers in the world, and the Lashi Lake Wetland Reserve. We toured and stayed in Ancient Town Lijiang famous for its scientific architectural layout criss- crossed by crystal-clear rivers and meandering cobbled streets. The Yuhu (“Jade Lake”) village near Lijiang was one of the villages where the Naxi ethnic group has been living for over a thousand years. There, we learned about their pictographic way of written communication. The pictographs were also seen on walls leading up to the 14th century Baisha (“White Sand”) Murals located at the Baisha village, which was the ancient capital of the Naxi Kingdom. The murals showcased different religious cultures such as Buddhism, Lamaism, Taoism and the local Naxi Dongba religion all in harmony with each other. We empathized with this longing for a united society since wanting world peace is a universal goal that goes beyond cultures and ages. In Hong Kong at the Huang Daxian Temple, we saw lots of locals praying for their dreams of wanting to stay healthy,
20
Like the locals, we all rubbed the many statues representing different deities and the animals of the Chinese zodiac for good luck and irresistibly immersed ourselves in the peaceful and beautiful flower gardens, mature trees, koi ponds, waterfall, and pavilions. Given the modern ur- ban landscape of Hong Kong, the temple was a breath of fresh air that showcased the natural and traditional beauty of China in the middle of the busy and crowded city. After learning about Hong Kong’s rich history in the His- tory Museum, we explored the Golden Bauhinia Square, where the giant golden Bauhinia statue is located. This statue is made of real gold, a gift from China in of Hong Kong returning to China
1997, and became the symbol
after 99 years of British rule. To get better views, we took a ca- ble tram up to Victoria Peak to view the magnificent skyline of Hong Kong and took a night cruise tour on Victoria Bay to view the colorful lights on the skyscrapers. We could not be more impressed by how incredible Hong Kong transformed from a simple fishing village to the financial center of Asia within just a few decades.
Besides being observers of China’s way of life, students also had active opportunities to participate, offer, and exchange ideas with Chinese school students that were of similar age to them through collaboration with two different schools in Chengdu and Lijiang. Mandarin students utilized their language knowl- edge to chat with their Chinese school partners while other Prio- ry students helped their partners speak English. For breaks, Chi- nese students in Chengdu had music that was played through- out the school while in Lijiang students danced in large circles with traditional Naxi music, which Priory students happily took part in. In interacting with the Chinese students, teachers, and administrators, Priory students learned about the different ed- ucational systems. The pressure on students to academically do well in school in China seemed to be much more than in the United States. This could be seen in many ways. These students had considerably longer class days ranging from 12 to 16 hours a day. In the classrooms, they had so many books piled on and in their desks that the student stayed at the same desk the en-
TRAVEL