From May 25th to June 6th, 2019, a team of 25 students from Cheong Kun Lun College, headed by the College Master Professor Zhang Meifang, went to Gansu and joined hands with students of Lanzhou University on the Silk Road study trip. The theme of this 13-day collaborative programme is entitled Embracing Silk Road Culture, Inheriting Chinese Civilization”.

The participants of this programme went on one of the ancient Silk Roads for an experiential study. In the first three days they explored the city of Lanzhou, visiting four museums and the publishing house of magazine “Readers”, as well as Lanzhou University. Then, they want on the Silk Road, during which students and teachers examined and appreciated the magnificent scenery of the Liujiaxia Dam and Bing Ling Temple Grottoes in Linxia, ​​the Yellow River Stone Forest in Baiyin, the heroic posture of the “Ma Ta Fei Yan” in Wuwei, the colorful Danxia landscape in Zhangye. They also climbed up the “Cantilever Great Wall” in Jiayuguan, experienced camel riding in  Mingshashan desert, and appreciated the wonderful sculptures and wall pictures in the world cultural heritage Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang.

This programme is part of China’s “ten-thousand participants” project, which gives priority to students from Macao and Hong Kong to have experiential learning of the traditional Chinese culture and to witness the economic developments of the Chinese mainland. This experiential study trip could indeed enable students to strengthen their sense of pride and identity with their motherland, and enhance the interaction and exchanges with mainland students. Through this study trip, students from both universities could better understand and learn from each other. They have also built up friendships with each other for future exchanges and cooperation.

Students have written reflections on the trip, in which they acknowledged learning a great deal. Here are some quotes from their reflections.     “Before I went to Gansu, I thought that Gansu should be a relatively poor and backward place in northwestern China. After coming here, I found many museums and high-rise buildings. In fact, Northwest China is also booming”. (Li Minyao)

   “The biggest gain is that the knowledge got from books has become concrete images now.” (Vege Cai)

   “China is really a big country! When we travel hundreds of kilometers every day, we feel the legacy of the Chinese history. Although sometimes we feel tired, it is worthwhile when you see things in person. The extraordinary scenes are still floating in my mind”. (Rocky Guan)

   Group leader Zeng Peixuan also shared the same feeling. She said, “It is better to go on a ten-thousand kilometers’ journey than to read ten thousand books. This time, I am fortunate to join hands with Lanzhou University to experience the Silk Road. The 13-day journey tells the stories of historical traces from ancient times to the present, and from Lanzhou to Dunhuang, which enable us to experience the brilliance of the Chinese civilization. We young people should take this opportunity to pass on our Chinese traditional culture. This is indeed an unforgettable journey to us all.” (Bella Zeng)

For all the Macao/Hong Kong students in the group, this programme not only gave them an opportunity to experience part of the ancient Silk Road and appreciate the beautiful mountains and rivers of the motherland, but also gave them foods for thought about what they should do for their motherland in the future.

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