Click here to read more from the Hangzhou Greentown Yuhua School’s website
From 24-29 October 2023, twenty of our students from Form 2 to Form 4, led by four teaching staff, visited our sister school, Hangzhou Greentown Yuhua School in China to participate in the 20th International Cultural Festival.
The festival showcased a vibrant stage of activities, including the opening ceremony, sports events, intercultural forums, trade fair, food festival, technology exhibition, exploration of Hangzhou, and homestay experiences. During this cultural exchange, the students from both schools engaged in mutual learning, colorful interactions, and fostered an ever-growing bond of friendship.
At the opening ceremony of the cultural festival, CSS students mesmerized the audience with their energetic dance performance titled "Para Para Sakura." Dressed in our colorful sports uniforms, we exhibited the charm and confidence of Hong Kong youth through our dynamic dance moves. The audience cheered for us and enjoyed the performance a lot.
On campus, at the Roman Plaza, various activities such as tie-dyeing, a traditional Chinese game of tossing arrows into a pot, poetry composition, tea ceremonies, and experiencing traditional Han Chinese clothing were organized. The "Splendors of the Song Dynasty" allowed our students to travel through time and immerse themselves in the lifestyle of the Song Dynasty, experiencing and gaining a profound understanding of Chinese culture.
Beyond the school campus, our students embarked on an immersive historical and cultural journey by exploring the China Great Canal Museum, The Gongchen Bridge and the old town and the City God Pavilion. This recalled what the students have learned in Chinese History and they enjoyed the tour a lot.
To prepare for the trade fair and food festival, our students learned the making of Hong Kong-style lemon tea from a cha-chaan-teng and brought the skills to Hangzhou. Our stall sold lemon tea and Calbee chips.It was so popular that the queue was never-ending and we had to keep refilling ingredients to make more lemon tea. In the end, our total revenue exceeded 2,000 yuan, which was donated to charitable organizations along with the other proceeds from Hangzhou Greentown Yuhua School's trade fair, spreading warmth through acts of kindness.
Throughout multifaceted engaging activities and homestays with local families, students from both schools fostered mutual understanding and an enduring bond of friendship through this special international experience. We are eagerly looking forward to hosting students from Hangzhou Greentown Yuhua School for their upcoming visit (exchange tour) to Creative Secondary School!
Student’s Sharing
Written by Form 4 HE Mairead Yuanqing
Living with a host family was one of the most challenging yet also rewarding parts of the Hangzhou trip. We all had to learn to live with complete strangers, and adapt our routines to fit a new environment. For example, I lived with both a host family and a Form 2 student, and so I had to wake up earlier to get ready and make sure to clean up after myself. This experience definitely helped me learn some good habits for keeping a cleaner and tidier living space and taught me to be more mindful of others, which I’ve been able to implement into my daily life and my studying habits. On top of that, it was very heartwarming to see everyone get closer to their buddies over the trip, and we all made some good memories!
Written by Form 3 Gary, ZHANG Wenshuo
We did some exciting and meaningful activities during our visit to Hangzhou. My most memorable activities were the city tour, the “育华好声音” music festival and our lemon tea workshop. We toured around and explored the different cultures of the city. Watched stunning performances from all the talented performers in the school and experienced running a whole lemon tea stand starting from gathering materials, making the lemon tea and advertising them. I’ve learned a lot about the city of Hangzhou and their school. I developed my organization and communication skills as I had to learn how to organize myself in a completely new environment and to keep track of everything around me. I talked with lots of strangers who I have become friends with and they taught me a lot about their lifestyle and our cultural differences. The lemon tea workshop was also very special as we experienced the stress of opening a stand and the joy of earning money with our own hard work! I appreciate everyone that I have met on this trip for such an unforgettable experience and I am glad to say that everyone has learned a lot from these activities.