On Friday 4th October, 12 S6 pupils from Armadale Academy set off for China for a ten day trip, as part of the school's developing partnership with Tianjin TEDA No. 1 Middle School (see our earlier article here). They were accompanied by their teachers Miss Young and Miss Moar, as well as SCA members Jean Ye, translator and external China coordinator, and Councillor Jim Dixon. This article has been kindly contributed by Miss Young. 

We arrived on Saturday evening in Beijing, and everyone quickly had to pick up the chopstick skills that would be essential over the next ten days. 

Sunday was spent experiencing Chinese culture first hand, with a visit to Tiananmen Square, the national museum of China and the Forbidden City. Everyone was overwhelmed by the huge crowds at these tourist attractions, as well as the large numbers of cars and bicycles on the Beijing streets. 

From Monday to Friday, the 12 pupils and two teachers stayed with host families from TEDA No. 1 Middle School. This school is located in the Binhai area of Tianjin, about 80 miles south east of Beijing – TEDA is the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area, an important regional zone. The young Scots stayed with the same young Chinese who had stayed with their families and visited Armadale Academy in August 2013. 

The photos below show scenes from the trip, all courtesy of Armadale Academy

This was a most enjoyable experience for our pupils to catch up with the friends they had made in August, and to experience first hand what it's like to live in a typical Chinese home as well as experiencing life in modern China. We all found the Chinese to be most kind and generous. 

Pupils were given a TEDA No. 1 Middle School uniform and got the chance to take part in various activities in school including Chinese face mask painting, tai chi, making Chinese dumplings and calligraphy. We visited various classes including English, chemistry, physics and PE, as well as the local primary school and Master Kong noodle factory, a business in the area. On the final day an assembly was held with performances from pupils at both schools, followed by a basketball game which was convincingly won by TEDA No. 1 Middle School. 

Principal Wang, Head Teacher of TEDA No. 1 Middle School, said that he found the pupils from Armadale Academy to be very polite and well mannered. He also commented that the parents from the host families were very impressed and went out of their way to make this a special occasion for the visitors from Armadale Academy. 

On Friday after a tearful farewell the group headed back to Beijing for the last two days of the trip. This included a visit to the Beijing National Library (the biggest library in Asia), the Great Wall, the hutongs (typical Beijing lanes), the Summer Palace and Olympic Stadium. Not to mention the shopping we all found time to fit in ! 

As my colleague Miss Moar said, "I feel very privileged to have been a part of the first and very successful China exchange trip. The whole group, including Miss Young and I, have thoroughly enjoyed every minute and have many special memories to cherish, particularly those shared with our lovely host families. This was a truly unique, cultural experience that I believe has inspired our young people and given the confidence to pursued further adventures in study, work or travel abroad”. 

The young people of Armadale also found the visit fascinating. Colin Waddell said, "I felt really nervous before I came out, but staying with the host family meant that I experienced real Chinese culture. In the end I did not want to leave. I have made friends for life and I hope to stay in touch and go back to China in the near future". 

Nina McDonald added, "it was good that the Chinese pupils visited Armadale first because it made it easier to stay with them in China as we already knew them. It showed me a new way of living that I never expected. China is a beautiful country, with beautiful people. If anyone gets the chance to go I would recommend it". 

Jean Ye feels that the pupils have learned a lot from this experience, saying, “I am thrilled to work with the Armadale team. This trip brings the best out of the pupils, and I am really proud of them”.&nbsp

This has been a fantastic experience for everyone involved. I am very proud to have been involved in the first exchange visit with our partner school in China. The pupils threw themselves in to all activities and were not shy when it came to trying different foods or haggling in the local markets. 

This is not the end of our Chinese experience – the group who visited Tianjin will be organising a Chinese New Year Event at the school in February. Another group from TEDA No 1 Middle School will visit Armadale Academy in August 2014, and we look forward to many more visits and a long and fruitful relationship with our friends in Tianjin.