At YCIS Chongqing, real learning isn't restricted to just inside of the classrooms. On April 6 and 7, our Year 7-9 students have had their Chinese Studies lesson in the Expo Garden, the HuGuang Guild Hall of Chongqing and at The Three Gorges Museum. Guided tours were provided for students to learn about important cultural elements and stories. Students were highly engaged in activities designed by teachers to enhance their understanding of the local culture. On Wednesday April 26, students will have some follow-up activities in the Great Hall where they will display their work.

Year 7 Expo Garden

The day kicked off with a group competition. Students arrived at the 'Viewing on the Top of the Cloud' after they had answered questions regarding materials covered in their Chinese Studies lessons. JiangNan Garden area was the second stop of the day after exploring in the big beautiful Expo garden for about half an hour. A guided tour in the JiangNan Garden area was offered for students to learn about the essential elements in the garden as well as in Chinese culture. The students were then given a task to find out a person's story as well as a kind of plant which represents this person's characteristics. Students worked in groups during their hunting and presented wonderful performances regarding the stories they found. After lunch, our group took a walk to the 'Double Pavilions and the Boat' where they could sit down and do some drawing. The students were rewarded with a relaxing boat ride around the Expo Garden at the end of the trip.

Year 8 Huguang Guild Hall of Chongqing

Year 8 spent their one-day trip in Huguang Guild Hall of Chongqing to experience the unique Bashu culture. Located near Jiefangbei, Huguang Guild Hall is a typical traditional Chinese architecture with rich displays of immigration in Chongqing of Sichuan embroidery, traditional Chinese fine arts, and other art-crafts etc. The trip started from the Yangtze River cableway, a unique means of transportation in Chongqing, which enabled students to overlook the HuGuang Guild Hall. Following that, students continued their exploration of the HuGuang Guild Hall with a series of activities prepared by teachers. They learned about the history of modern Chongqing with tourist guide's explanation, designed cloth-paste painting with Chongqing landmarks and created and performed ChuanJiang Haozi with the local people-one of the working songs populated in Chongqing.

Year 9 Three Gorges Museum

The Three Gorges Museum is located near the Chongqing People's Hall. It aims to undertake education, preservation, and scientific research with respect to cultural heritage and the natural environment in Chongqing and the Three Gorges region of the Yangtze River.

The professional guide from the Three Gorges Museum presented a comprehensive and meticulous introduction for the group. Through watching the Three Gorges Project film in an IMAX theatre, students were equipped with background information about the history as well as the landscape alongside the Three Gorges dam. After lunch, students hiked along the old walking path in Yuzhong District and completed a task to show their understanding of different themes such as the historical site, life as a Chongqing Citizen and history vs modern times through photography.