The Great Tour Of China

During the April Term 1 holiday break fifty MLSHS students and nine teachers embarked on a three week tour of China. The tour group included students of Chinese, Music and the Arts.

Highlights of the visit included climbing the Great Wall, a visit to Xi’an to see the Terracotta Warriors, attending Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s presentation at Beijing University (five lucky students and our Principal Mr Milton Butcher were invited), getting to Shanghai Airport in six minutes on the Shanghai Maglev Train and many more.


















Apart from sightseeing, activities in Anhui Province and Hangzhou were school-based. The visits to schools in Anhui Province were assisted and supported by the Foreign Affairs Division of the Anhui Provincial Education Department. In Hefei the visitors were divided into three groups to visit three schools. Students at these school showed the Australian students traditional Chinese arts and crafts and performed Chinese musical items and dances.



















The next stop in Anhui was our sister school, Anqing Number 1 Middle School. Seven students lived in homes of Chinese students. All students were hosted by the Anqing school for an evening. In Tunxi, the group visited an old township and ancient street.

While in China the our School Senior Concert band performed in various venues, including the Temple of Heaven Park. Combined concerts were held at Hefei 168 Middle School, Anqing Number 1 Middle School and Tunxi Number 1 Middle School.

Before leaving China via Shanghai, students and teachers visited our sister school in Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Number 14 and performed for the school. This relationship has been in operation for over 10 years and students from both schools have exchanged visits on a number of occasions. MLSHS students of Chinese stayed with Chinese families, participated in school activities, basketball games and competitions. They took part in hands-on classes in Chinese calligraphy and Chinese painting as well as opera-mask painting activities.

The students and teachers were given the cultural experience of a lifetime. They watched an acrobatic show, a Tang Dynasty musical and dance show, Anqing’s famous Huangmei opera and Chinese musical items presented by students of the schools we visited.


















The tour was extremely successful in the exchange of Australian and Chinese cultures and promoting sister-school partnerships.

MLSHS is now looking forward to hosting students and teachers from Anqing Number 1 Middle School in August.