Programme: Exploring Silk Road and Huaxia Culture
Partner Institution: Lanzhou University
Period: July 13 – 25, 2019
During the program, I had the chance to explore China in a new perspective. Joining an exchange program allowed me to understand the culture of the place more deeply, as I had the opportunity to participate in different activities in the trip. For example, the organizing institution arranged a Chinese calligraphy class as well as a folk-dance performance for us, which were very enriching and rewarding to me.
In addition, as local students and students from Hong Kong and Taiwan were arranged to be in the same group by the organizer, we had the chance to exchange our thoughts and values, which allowed us to recognize how our learning environments or even our societies had shaped and changed our ways of thinking differently. Through getting to know each other, we could observe the cultural differences between places. For example, we discussed on how we developed and used different slangs despite the fact that we basically share the same language. Such differences indeed foster the building of our relationships, as they had made our conversations much more interesting.
Most importantly, Silk Road is a fascinating cultural heritage with rich historical background and well-preserved nature. The historic architecture of Jiayuguan and the Great Wall surrounding it is extraordinary. The view of Zhangye Danxia, Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake is breath-taking. The murals and sculptures in Mogao Caves are very delicate and well-preserved. Spending two weeks in Silk Road was unexpectedly fulfilling. In addition, travelling with friendly people that I met in the trip had de-stressed me from my busy study schedule back in Hong Kong. It was a superb experience to me, and I have gained a lot from this trip. I am glad that I made the decision to join this program in this semester break and I am sure that I will travel to other parts of China again to explore more about it.
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