For the first time since before Covid, the Chinese Department embarked on an unforgettable overseas culture and language study trip for a week during half term. Twenty-five students from the Third to Fifth Year visited Taiwan, accompanied by our Head of Chinese Mrs Wang, with Mr Doyle and Mrs Taylor.
Mrs Wang reports: “After the long flights, the first day was spent exploring Sun Moon Lake (Ri Yue Tan) in central Taiwan, where every scene resembles a Chinese painting. We toured around a famous tea factory and sampled various Chinese teas. After heading north to Taipei, we visited the National Museum, Taipei 101 and Elephant Mountain to enjoy the city’s skyline as well as exploring the historic Shi Lin Night Market.
“After journeying to the east coast to Hualien, we thoroughly enjoyed various local delicacies at a huge night market and experienced the culture of the aboriginal Ami Tribe, even learning how to make our own sticky rice pudding.
“As you will hear below, the highlight of the trip for most students was the two-day stay at Tzu Chi Senior High School. We were warmly received and joined classes with their students, participated in the tug of war evening game and enjoyed the weekly Friday afternoon form time activities. It was difficult to bid farewell at the lively farewell party.
“On our way back to Taoyuan International Airport, we made a stop at Qingshui Cliffs at Taroko National Park, one of Taiwan’s top ten natural wonders. The entire trip was an incredible eye-opening experience and a rare opportunity to use our Chinese language skills. Students and staff thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Student reflections
Third Year student Emile Guiblin says, “The trip to Taiwan was an amazing experience, all the way from arriving at Taipei’s Taoyuan Airport to taking off on the flight back to London. We visited a variety of locations, and it was evident of the vast contrasts between the tranquil Sun Moon Lake, and bustling Taipei. I can think of very few people on the trip who didn’t make a photo of the Sun Moon Lake their home screen wallpaper. We also participated in a tea-tasting experience, where we subsequently bought at least two shopping bags’ worth of tea for family back in the UK! We then travelled back to Taipei, and with the help of our helpful yet hilarious tour guide, Louis, we entered the Shilin Night Market. The combination of the narrow streets and the large number of people made it even more exciting, as even though the time was around 8pm, all that was lighting the streets were lanterns or vendors’ stalls. The end of the trip was, for all of us, a grand finale.
“Many of us were not looking forward to seeing a school during the half term, but the students and staff at the Tzu Chi Senior High School in Hualien were really polite and kind, not to mention the 50 selfies Zach Wood and I took on 1 evening! We learnt a lot during these two days, including engaging in a cooking course in the neighbouring university, where we made bao buns and bubble tea. From shooting fire out of bamboo cannons to being at the top of Taipei 101, the Taiwan trip was a truly brilliant experience. 谢谢(Thanks), Mrs. Wang, Mr. Doyle and Mrs. Taylor, Louis, and all those at Tzu Chi High School!”
…
Fourth Year student Aaron George said, “The Taiwan school trip is a trip I shall remember for the rest of my life. It was probably the most eventful week I have ever had. From visiting the Taipei 101, a building which used to be the tallest in the world, to having a boat ride on the Sun Moon Lake; from tasting new cuisine to seeing the National Palace Museum. The whole experience was made better by our tour guide, Louis, a much-loved member of our group who made everything funnier and more interesting.
“However, the best part was visiting Tzu Chi High School. Over there we met new people, made new friends, participated in activities important to Taiwanese culture (such as calligraphy), cooked our own food, learned about the history of the Tzu Chi Charity Foundation, and finally said goodbye to our new friends. You might think the language barrier would be a problem, but it was our difficulty in speaking to each other that made the conversations more interesting. Overall, visiting Taiwan was a great experience and I would definitely visit again if I had the chance.”
…
Fifth Year Luca Nissim says, “The recent trip to Taiwan, I found to be an absolute blast! I enjoyed exploring new cuisine and visiting famous landmarks like Taipei 101 or walking around in the night markets. The highlight of this trip, however, was certainly the exchange programme with Tzu Chi Senior High School. It was very interesting to see differences in our school systems and, as a boarding school, there were a great range of activities from martial arts to calligraphy (which we were luckily able to participate in) keeping students busy. Unwaveringly bright and expressive Tzu Chi students made those two days a wonderous experience where, at its end, everyone yearned for more time to be with them all.”
Scroll right to see more stories
