Christmas on the Great Wall!
As the YES Program Trips are growing in popularity, SPIRAL International and Hebei North University, a leading Chinese medicine university, worked together once more to bring an even larger group of students and chaperones to China for Christmas! Students from Ohio, Kentucky, New York, Nebraska and Utah all left their respective homes and met in China for their winter holiday. This 90-person group was also one of the largest groups SPIRAL International and Hebei North University have ever cosponsored.
Similar to the November Thanksgiving Trip, the December Christmas Trip was also a Service-Learning camp that hosted students to explore Beijing and learn about Traditional Chinese Medicine in Zhangjiakou. For the second time, the college taught American students about traditional Chinese medicine, an alternative practice drawn from using herbs, plants, roots, and many other natural materials to treat illnesses, medical conditions, as well as build strength and vitality.
Touring Beijing
On the first day of activities, students, teachers, and chaperones bundled up and braved the windy weather as they explored Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. In the afternoon they headed to the Temple of Heaven and in the evening, the students had a shopping excursion on Dashilan Market Street.
Christmas Eve
The second day, Christmas Eve, everyone went to the National Museum of China near Tiananmen Square. This museum is one of the largest in the world, needs a reservation to enter and only allows a set number of visitors per day. It holds 1.43 million rare collections of cultural relics.
In the evening, the students enjoyed an acrobatics show at the Beijing Dongcheng Workers Stadium. The show was spectacular! Afterwards, everyone was surprised with a Christmas dinner party! Students were given gifts by the Hebei North University. The students also performed a small talent show of singing songs (in both English and Chinese!) and line dancing with the Chinese student volunteers and staff. It was a night full of fun!
Christmas on the Great Wall
On Christmas morning, the students headed back to the Beijing Zoo and caught several views of the pandas eating their morning bamboo breakfasts! They also had fun exploring the panda gift shop where they purchased panda gifts for their friends and families back home.
The next stop was the Badaling Great Wall. Students rode up by cable car, explored the wall, and marveled at the gorgeous, surrounding scenery. Afterwards, the students left the capital city and headed to Zhangjiakou.
Service Learning in Zhangjiakou
In the evening, students went to the Zhangjiakou No. 1 Senior High School. They were welcomed into the student auditorium with a loud applause from the Chinese high school students. They performed shows onstage including a Tibetan dance, Chorus, Tai Chi and Wu Shu. Afterwards, the students interacted with one another, practicing English and Chinese, sharing their cultural backgrounds, experiences, and making new friends.
The following day, students engaged with traditional Chinese medicine at Hebei North University. They took classes about the different techniques used for treatments. The students got the chance to experience traditional Chinese medicine massage therapy and visit a Chinese medicine pharmacy.
The afternoon activities included calligraphy lessons, dumpling making and classes about different aspects of Chinese culture. Students learned about Chinese fashion and local customs. They later had a Tai Chi and Wu Shu class in the college gymnasium and in the evening, Hebei North University hosted a New Year’s Performance Show. It featured many colorful performances.
On the following day, the students visited the Zhangjiakou Chongli Olympic Park, the site of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and the National Ski Jumping Center. Students went on a tour through the Chongli Olympic Park Museum and learned about the legacy of the Winter Olympics. In the afternoon, students visited Dajingmen Scenic Area. In the evening, students went to a famous shopping mall, Yinzuo Shopping Mall.
On the following morning, the students departed for Yuxian County visited the Yuzhou Museum. Everyone explored the museum and took a paper cutting class. Everyone made a paper cutting artwork and got to take it home in a frame. In the evening, the students attend the Closing Ceremony. They not only got to watch performances, but they even took part in the ceremony. Several chaperones and students made speeches in English and Mandarin Chinese, talking about their trip experience, information they learned, and gave special thank you messages to the hosts. The American students sang songs, performed a piano recital, and put on a Latin Dance performance.
After the show, the students took photos with the performers. On the last day, the students departed from the hotel to the airport. After bonding with student volunteers, teachers and staff from Hebei North University, the students were sad to say good bye. When reflecting, the students enjoyed and learned so much from their 10 day trip in China. It was truly a Christmas vacation that they would never forget for years to come.
