Year 7 Beijing Trip

While facilities and classrooms are fantastic, sometimes nothing beats getting outside and seeing the world. The recent trip to Beijing with Year 7 was exactly this kind of opportunity. On the first day Year 7 went to the Temple of Heaven. At the temple, the pupils learnt about the nature of the emperors’ faith and discovered how the earth and heaven were represented through the buildings’ architecture. At the end of the day, the pupils dined at an authentic Dim Sum restaurant and got to know each other a little bit better.

Being in Beijing allowed the pupils to experience being away from home and taught them about individual resilience and also how to work and be with other people. This resilience was particularly tested on the much-anticipated Great Wall of China. The pupils undertook a hard-climb all the way to the twelfth guard tower and were met by a definite ‘once in a lifetime view’, which they will take away with them for the rest of their lives.

Finally on the third day, the pupils visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, where they learnt about its rich history and ancient architecture. The pupils were particularly fascinated by the significance of inter-twining animals into the architecture of the area and the different types of dragons that they observed throughout the day.

The trip to Beijing introduced the pupils to new people, allowing them to practise their language skills and general communication. It also gave them context, putting culture, history, geography and language into a new context where the Wellingtonians were able to better see how the world works.

Most importantly, the pupils took away interest, internationalism and inspiration. Whether it be climbing the Great Wall or wandering and wondering at the Temple of Heaven or Forbidden City, being beyond the classroom opens the door a little to the world.