Making Classroom Connections

Since our return to the United States, many of the teachers who participated in our study tour have had opportunities to share their experiences with their students. These direct classroom applications are what make a culture come alive for students. They feel immediately connected to the people and places they see in pictures because their teacher has actually been there to experience the smells, sounds, and sights of China. We have featured three of our participating teachers who have shared their stories and pictures with all of you. This is just a taste of the amazing work that is now happening in classrooms in New England as a result of this travel experience.

David Bosso
Because my freshman course, "The World and Its People I," covers ancient China to the present, there are many extremely useful elements of the program and study tour that will be incorporated throughout the school year. Just as one example: upon my return, we were just beginning the Mao era of China. The Forbidden City, the host family stay, speaking with our guides who lived during the Cultural Revolution - all of these experiences provided a much more holistic understanding of this time period than what I could have learned from textbooks and personal research. I believe that I have much more insight into why Mao is still greatly respected despite many of his detrimental policies, and most importantly, I feel I can adequately convey to my students the many aspects of Mao-era China.

There are so many experiences: visiting the Great Wall and getting a better sense of its size and construction, seeing the Terra Cotta Army and sensing the power of Qin Shi Huangdi, touching loess soil near the cave homes, the security at Tiananmen Square, visiting the school in Pangliu Village and experiencing rural life, witnessing the hundreds of construction cranes in Beijing and Shanghai, the food. In each case, the real-life experiences, especially in the form of anecdotes, photographs, and literature strongly supplement the textbook, lectures, discussions, etc. which will provide a more informed approach to our understanding of China. The trip will continue to play a significant role as I gather source material related to current events, controversial issues, and discussion topics for my students in order strengthen the China component of our Social Studies curriculum.

Sally Lividini
Over the last few weeks, I have found many opportunities to share my experiences in China with my elementary school students. Because I teach art I see every child in the school. Upon my return I shared some of the objects that I purchased, including a lovely silk kite in the shape of an owl. My second graders were making fish kites before I left on my trip, so I was very excited about showing them how a real kite is constructed. After a week, I arranged many of the objects and photos from China in a display case located in the front of our school. It is the first thing my students and their families see as they enter our building. The students look forward to going down to the case and spending part of the class period talking about all the "treasures" I brought back to our school. My students are encouraged to ask a question about one object or picture in the display. The first question always leads to a deeper discussion about the object or subject matter of a photo; what it is, where I got it, why I bought it or photographed it. Over the years I will continue to use my experiences, pictures and the artifacts I collected to enrich my classroom teaching.

Katie Carpenter and Shannon Famigletti
Before we left on the trip, we shared our itinerary with our classes and the other teachers at our grade level. We posted our travel plans and relevant links on our classroom webpages. We created a bulletin board that the students could consult so that they could follow the geography of our travels. In true elementary school fashion, we glued photos of our faces to popsicle sticks and a colleague moved them through China as we traveled. Our teammates had copies of the destination reports our colleagues wrote to share with the kids. The students were excited for us to get going so they could hear about our trip.

While on the trip, we were in almost daily communication with the students in our classes. Through our posting of photos, our blogs and podcasts, the students really felt like they traveled with us. They asked questions that we were able to respond to quickly. They used the information we posted combined with the websites we left for them to research areas of particular interest (or to answer a question we may have posed for them.)

Earlier in the year, during our study of ancient China, students learned about the Great Wall, Qin's Terra Cotta Soldiers, the existence of city walls during the early dynasties, as well as the cave houses. Seeing images of their teachers and hearing the anecdotes of our time spent at these sites allowed the kids to connect all that they studied with our personal real-life experiences.

The kids were also excited to share their experiences about following our trip with us. They were interested to see the movie that we created with all of our pictures from the trip and had enthusiastic conversations around the curriculum, materials and resources we brought to share with them. We look forward to using these photos, movies, and resources with future classes and colleagues. It was an invaluable experience that we recently shared with our staff, which has inspired many to look into study tours of their own. Clearly the trip is an experience we will always remember, and through the wonders of modern technology we hope it made a lasting impression on our students as well. Our only problem now is, choosing which study tour to do next...

Zai jian, China!

Believe it or not, today was our last full day in China. We left early this morning for Suzhou, a medium-sized city of 7 million people located about two hours outside of Shanghai (yes, 7 million is medium-sized here). There is an expression in Chinese that says “Up in the heavens is paradise; down on earth are Hangzhou and Suzhou.” This is because these two cities are known to be paradise on earth. Together with Shanghai, these cities also make up the wealthiest area in China.

Suzhou is said to be the Venice of the East, as it is full of canals and bridges—168 to be exact. The city is also known for its amazing gardens. During the Qing dynasty, there were over 200 gardens in Suzhou. Over time, many have been destroyed leaving 70 gardens today (only 10 or so are open to the public). We learned that the Humble Administrator’s Garden, which we visited today, along with three other classical gardens in Suzhou have been named a UNESCO world heritage site. It was clear from our visit that this garden was a serene balance of water, hills, beautiful architecture, winding pathways, and peaceful corners in which to rest, meditate, and engage with nature. We were amazed by our visit and could have stayed all day—but the silk factory was calling!

In addition to being known for gardens, Suzhou is also famous for its high-quality silk. Our group visited the Number 1 silk factory in the region and learned all about the silk-making process. We were most amazed by how machines and human workers are able to take individual cocoons and unravel the silk into long threads. We were further struck by how many threads are needed to produce the products we most enjoy, such as scarves, bags, and clothes. We learned that it takes 600 cocoons to make a 1 meter2 scarf; 10,000 cocoons to make a king-sized silk quilt. After visiting this factory, we had a deeper appreciation for the process and for the beauty of this fine fabric.

At the end of the day, we gathered together one last time for a final celebration. We listened to classical Chinese music, feasted on duck, sticky rice, and fresh corn, and reminisced about an unforgettable trip. We are so appreciative of this opportunity to not only visit China, but to feel, touch, smell, and taste all that China has to offer. The more we live these experiences here, the more we see endless opportunities for sharing these stories with our students. These teachers’ classrooms will never be the same again. Their curricula will be forever enriched by real-life experiences, cultural artifacts, and personal anecdotes from their time here in China. I feel a sense of profound satisfaction and pride knowing that thousands of students will be impacted by the lessons learned on this study tour. We have truly appreciated how thoughtful and hardworking these teachers have been on this trip—their dedication to their craft and to continued learning is an inspiration.

We hope to maintain this blog at least for a couple of months to show how the teachers are using their experiences and planning their curricular changes for the new year. We hope you will continue to check back from time to time to follow their progress.

It is with a heavy heart that we say, “Zai jian,” (goodbye) to China. We hope to see you again very soon.

Today’s Interesting Tidbit: It takes a silkworm 7 days to spin a 1 km long thread of silk. Most silkworms only live 60 days.

Photos: 1. Group at the Humble Administrator’s Garden, 2. View from the garden, 3. Machine to unravel the silk from the cocoon, 4. Musical performance at our final dinner.

Shanghai: Old and New

Our last day in Shanghai began with a tour of the Shanghai Museum. This fabulous museum opened in 1952 and has over 120,000 artifacts depicting the history of China. The most valuable artifact is the Da Ke Ding, a bronze food vessel from the 10th century B.C. In addition to valuable bronzes of food, water, and wine vessels, we viewed ancient bronze weapons and drums, Buddhist sculpture, Chinese painting, calligraphy, ceramics, and currencies of China and the Silk Road.


We then went to the Bund area, the riverfront district of Shanghai that was the center of politics, business, and culture for hundreds of years in Shanghai. We all enjoyed some free time this afternoon. Some of us wandered the Yu Yuan Garden and bazaar, while others walked down Nanjing Road, a pedestrian shopping area. Others visited Daoist and Buddhist Temples. Many of the teachers shopped for artifacts for their classrooms, posters of Cultural Revolution propaganda, and books about Shanghai and China.

Tomorrow we leave for Suzhou and our last full day in China. We plan to visit the gardens of Suzhou and learn about the making of silk.

Today’s interesting tidbit: The Shanghai Museum has two underground floors and 5 above ground floors. It covers 38,000 square meters and has 11 galleries, 3 exhibition halls, and a multimedia studio.

Photos: 1. Da Ke Ding food vessel at the Shanghai Museum. 2. Group picture outside the Shanghai Museum. 3. Inside view of the Shanghai Museum.

Xi'an to Shanghai

This morning we said goodbye to Xi’an and flew to Shanghai. With more than 20 million permanent and temporary residents, Shanghai is the largest city in China. The Huang Pu River divides Shanghai into the Puxi and Pudong districts. The Puxi district is home to Old Shanghai and the former foreign French, American, British, and Japanese concessions, settlements that were governed by their occupants and untouchable by Chinese law. The Pudong district is the modern business center of Shanghai.

After lunch we visited the Shanghai Municipal History Museum, located in the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. The museum gave us an excellent overview of the rise of Shanghai as a major trade city and center of economic development in China.

Our evening wrapped up with a show at the Acrobatic Theater. We enjoyed watching hoop jumping, plate spinning, umbrella spinning, and mid-air ballet. Every day has brought a new cultural experience and this one was not a disappointment.

Today’s interesting tidbit: In 1985, Shanghai had only one skyscraper. Today, there are more than 3,000 buildings in Shanghai with 18 stories or more.

Photos: 1. A skyline view of Shanghai. 2. Plate spinning at the Acrobatic Theater.

Last day in Xi'an

Our last day in Xi’an snuck up on us rather quickly. After many days of rain, we had the most gorgeous day of sun and a cool breeze. We started the day by visiting a wild animal preserve in the foothills of the Qinling Mountains. We saw several pandas roaming around and munching on greens. We also had a chance to see other exotic animals, such as golden monkeys and peacocks (who put on quite a show for us).

After the preserve, we headed to the town of Huxian, which is the capital of Hu County. This area is know for its “peasant paintings.” These are brightly colored folk art paintings that often depict images of rural life in China. We visited a gallery of peasant paintings and met two of the artists who work on them. We were mesmerized by the colors as well as the simple patterns and images that depict some often complex issues and themes. Needless to say, many of us walked home with reproductions to add to our own art collections.

At the end of the day, many teachers visited the Xi’an city walls which offered an amazing vista of the city. Some participants even biked the entire perimeter of the city, soaking in one last view of Xi’an before our departure. Other teachers went to a cooking demonstration/class to learn some Chinese cooking techniques. We watched a noodle making demonstration and even cooked a sweet potato dish ourselves.

Tomorrow, we leave for Shanghai where we will begin our final leg of the trip. Two cities down, two to go (Shanghai and Suzhou).

Today’s Interesting Tidbit: the word for panda in Chinese is xiong mao, which literally means “bear cat.”

Photos: 1. Panda at the nature preserve, 2. Peacock at the nature preserve, 3. Sample of a peasant painting, 4. Noodle making demonstration.

Cold days and cave dwellings

I am sure everyone in our group would say that the highlight of our day was visiting a peasant cave house in the mountains near Xi’an. This morning, we headed northwest of the city to visit the tomb of Wu Zetian, the only empress in China’s feudal history. Known for her cruelty and thirst for power, she imprisoned or killed those who stood in her way and claimed the throne for herself in 690 during the Tang Dynasty. In the hills about an hour outside of Xi’an, one can find Wu Zetian’s tomb as well as 17 other satellite tombs (which likely belonged to family members). Of the 20 emperors of the Tang Dynasty, only 18 tombs have ever been found. Of those 18, the tomb of Wu Zetian is the only one that has not been disturbed by tomb raiders. We visited the site of the tomb and also entered one of the subsidiary tombs, which was open to the public for viewing.

It was near freezing at the tomb site, which took us all by surprise. We hadn’t experienced cold like this since arriving in China and we were all underdressed. While at the tomb site, we were told that our tour guide Richard had arranged for us to visit the cave home of a local peasant farm worker. We jumped at the chance, since many of us had observed these cave homes from the train window when rolling into town a few days earlier, and we had many questions about what these homes were like. Many teachers teach their students in the U.S. about cave homes and were eager to see one in person.

We huddled together against the wind and hiked down into a valley where the cave home was located. Our host led us down some precarious mud steps to a small complex of caves inhabited by her, her husband, her parents, and her three children. We were welcomed into one of their bedrooms and were offered tea to warm up. The room was simply furnished with two armchairs, a table, and a bed. The bed was a concrete slab covered with a woven reed mat, some cotton padding, and a top sheet. Under the bed was a small oven that could be lit for warmth.

We toured the home, which included a small communal kitchen, a horse stable, and two more bedrooms. We were struck by the ingenuity of the home’s structure and the similarities between this home and others. The cave home stays cool in the summer and holds its warmth in the winter, making it a practical dwelling. You could see relatively modern furniture, a TV, and other basic appliances, which surprised many of us who were expecting to see more rugged living conditions. It was clear that these farmers had created a home that was a part of the earth and in line with their living needs. Our hosts also showed us the newly made coffins for their parents. It is tradition to build coffins for parents before their deaths, creating peace of mind.

After a brief stay at the home, we returned to Xi’an to enjoy some free time in the rainy city. The weather is finally supposed to turn tomorrow, when we will visit a wild animal preserve (in search of pandas).

Today’s Interesting Tidbit: Legend has it that grave robbers went to Wu Zetian’s tomb to raid it of its riches. It is said that a torrential rain arrived that day, causing the army of raiders to retreat, leaving the tomb untouched. Present-day archeologists have evidence to suggest that in fact, the tomb was extremely well-built and solid, making it difficult to disturb.

Photos: 1. Arial view of the cave home complex, 2. Teachers visiting the kitchen, 3. A view of the work shed.

Village life, Exciting meals

This morning we greeted each other at our hotel lobby, fresh from spending a night with our host families around Xi’an. We spent the morning at Pang Liu village, a place with close ties to Primary Source. The Pang Liu village school library was built with the help of Primary Source and more than 1,000 teachers from the United States have visited the village school and volunteered there. There are now more than 170 students enrolled at the school and some begin kindergarten at the age of 3.

Even though it was a Sunday morning, we were greeted by the children from the school. After a tour of the school, teachers from the study tour divided into groups of 5 and 6 and spent an hour teaching the kids songs like “Bingo,” “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” and “I’m a Little Teapot.” They also played games and worked on English numbers and colors with the kids.

Next came lunch at local houses. Again we divided into groups and enjoyed delicious meals of fresh cucumber, green peppers, garlic shoots, lotus root, and Chinese pancakes. As we left Pang Liu village, we wished we could stay longer and talked and laughed about our time spent with the children at the school and our short glimpse of village life in China.

We returned to Xi’an and visited the Hong Wen Guang Art School located near the Muslim Quarter of the city. The Art School provides instruction to children ages 5 and up in calligraphy and painting. It is only opened on Saturdays and Sundays for children to participate in the arts as an extracurricular activity. We were so impressed by the beautiful paintings and extraordinary talent we saw.

Our evening was filled with new experiences including a Chinese hot pot meal. Hot pot is a way of cooking meats and vegetables in boiling water or oil, similar to fondue. Each person can choose from a variety of ingredients such as tomatoes, eggs, bok choy, noodles, beef, or lamb and create their own hot pot meal. Following this adventure in eating, we wrapped up our night with a foot massage. Our foot massages were like nothing any of us had experienced before and we all came back to our hotel happy and tired from a great day!

Today’s interesting tidbit: Pang Liu village has a population of 2,570 people. The average yearly income is 2000 Yuan, approximately $300.

Photos: 1. A shot of Pang Liu village. 2. Children at the Pang Liu village school. 3. Betsy C. with a student at the Hong Wen Guang Art School. 4. Kathy M., Maureen B., and Sally L. enjoy a hot pot meal.