Fifteen students from Years 8 to 10 touched down in Brisbane in early October after a whirlwind cultural study tour of China with a jam-packed 17-day itinerary.

Our students travelled around Beijing for two days visiting world-famous locations, and then moved on to Nanjing in the Jiangsu province. Here, they engaged in immersive activities and forged enduring friendships at our sister school, Nantong Senior High School.

Our students were also lucky enough to partake in the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival alongside their sister-school peers – and indeed the entire nation – during this momentous public holiday. The following week, our students stopped at Shanghai and marvelled at the supertall World Finance Centre skyscraper, Yu Garden, Old Town Market, and toured through Nanjing Road, one of the world’s busiest shopping streets. The group also experienced a Chinese Acrobat Show, met cuddly pandas at Shanghai Wild Animal Park, and took in the views at the Bund, Shanghai’s vibrant waterfront district.

This cultural study tour was an amazing opportunity for our students to dive into the Chinese way of life – from everyday school routines, to domestic life at home, through to national celebrations.

Our students were particularly inspired upon learning the story of Zhang Jian – an industrialist and leading social reformer who used his sizeable fortune to transform the lives of his fellow Nantong citizens by building schools, roads, medical facilities and libraries.

This cultural tour also piqued the interest of province locals, with reporters accompanying our students and teachers during their visit to a museum and an artist’s residence. During this news report, broadcast on Nantong Television on Friday 27 September, our students articulated their increased cultural sensitivity and broader understanding of China as a result of this immersive tour.

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