For the school year 2023-24, S4 students and teachers embarked on a fulfilling and eye-opening two-day Citizenship and Social Development (CS) Mainland Study Tour to Huizhou, China, on 7-8 March 2024.
At eight in the morning, students and our teachers excitedly, albeit groggily, hopped on a train heading to Huizhou, taking advantage of our country’s great advancements in the development of the high-speed railway. Enjoying the comfortable seats and cosy environment of the cabins, our two-day journey to learn more about our motherland’s development and history began.
As we touched ground at Huizhou, coaches took us to our first destination – Dongpo Temple, where the famous poet once lived. The Temple is located where Dongpo lived till his death after being demoted for supporting the wrong party amidst political chaos. Visiting the Temple allowed us to retrace his footsteps from over a millennia ago. In addition, his graceful calligraphy was on display in the Dongpo Memorial Hall established near Dongpo Temple, where we delved deeper into learning about Dongpo’s storied, yet unfortunate life. We certainly left with a renewed understanding and deeper connection with our Chinese roots.
After learning about one of the most famous and talented poets in Chinese history, we headed to a more scenic destination – Huizhou West Lake. Here we took some time with our mouths agape with amazement and admiration for the grand scenery of the West Lake. Thanks to our mother country’s labours and financial support for the revitalisation of the West Lake, we were left utterly mesmerised by the awe-inspiring and enchanting scenery.
In the afternoon, we headed towards Chaojing Gate. Inside the gate, there was a museum where we learnt about the significant role the gate played in safeguarding the security of Huizhou in ancient China. It was described as “impenetrable” with its imposing and huge stone walls, but now those very same stones had been worn down and some even corroded, as time passed. As we stepped out of the gate, we rode towards the next location with enhanced knowledge and understanding of ancient Chinese architecture and defence against foreign aggression. Stopping by Chaojing Gate undoubtedly elevated our sense of belonging to our motherland as we learned more about its history.
It was late afternoon when we arrived at our final destination – Shuidong Street. This street is where one of the most famous night markets in Huizhou is located, with booths set up in the middle and shops selling food and drinks on the side. The snacks sold at the booths tasted heavenly and were extremely affordable for our student-sized wallets. In addition, the booth owners were incredibly kind and friendly towards us, treating us with great care. Undeniably, we learned more about our country’s nightlife and economy while savouring scrumptious treats. Moreover, on the sides of each street, qilou building complexes can be found, presenting the typical architectural characteristics of the ancient city of Huizhou, leaving traces of history behind, and allowing us to glimpse at the other chapters of Chinese history from the present day. Experiencing Shuidong Street’s endearing combination of modern and ancient Chinese culture first-hand, we surely left with a greater understanding and appreciation for our Chinese heritage.
On the second day, we enjoyed breakfast at our hotel and headed off to Huizhong No.1 Middle School. We were warmly welcomed by their teachers and students and were able to tour their huge campus. Their campus was 15 times bigger than ours! Stories were exchanged between our counterparts in Huizhou and us, allowing us to learn more about their school life and education, and being given first-hand insights and a peek into their life. Their incredible achievements and awards were stored on shelves in a special room that was about the size of a classroom in HFCC and student ambassadors enthusiastically introduced to us their remarkable accomplishments! Our students were ecstatic and eager to learn about student life in the Mainland, which we did during our tour. For lunch, we got to eat in a student cafeteria, experiencing the full student life at the No.1 Middle School. After a campus tour and some exchanges with students, we were ushered into a classroom for a lesson on stone engraving. We were taught how to engrave ancient Chinese words onto a stone and turn it into a stamp. We were even allowed to take our hand-made stamps home as souvenirs. We learned invaluable knowledge about the origin of ancient Chinese words and how they transformed into the ones we write today. The lesson ended with us taking a photo with our counterparts, as well as enhanced knowledge and connection to our culture as we understood more about it.
After an eventful stay at Huizhou No.1 Middle School, the last destination on our itinerary was visiting the factory of Jin Jia Zhuang, a healthy-food production company founded by a famous actor. We were given a peek behind the curtains of food production, learning about the new trend of healthy food consumption in our mother country, as well as the wave of food promotion utilising social media. Most of our students left with their hands full, holding bags of healthy food purchased from their shops. As we sat down in our coach again, our study tour came to an end. Then, we were driven to the train station, boarded the train, and got back to Hong Kong.
This study tour was both fulfilling and eye-opening. We were given glimpses into our mother country’s development and its citizens' lives, and we went home with a renewed sense of national identity and heads filled with knowledge and understanding of our country’s rapid progress. This two-day journey will always be one of the most memorable trips in S4 students’ minds.
Erin Chan (4B)