During the week of October 14-18, the Year 7 and 8 students travelled to Guilin, a city surrounded by beautifully shaped limestone hills and with streets dotted with lush vegetation.

After a night’s rest, the students visited a local noodle restaurant where they learnt how rice noodles were made and enjoyed a bowl of delicious noodle soup made with spices from the region.

After lunch, they visited Elephant Trunk Hill, one of the city’s famous tourist attractions, tested the pH levels in the Lijang River and then dined at the famous Roasted Goose restaurant. The next day, they boarded a luxury cruise ship to travel along the Lijang River to the city of Yangshuo. Along the way, they saw the famous Nine Horses hill, quaint villages and the rich flora of the region.

In Yangshuo, they tasted the city’s famous beer fish, toured the majestic Yinzi Karst Caves with gigantic stalagmites enhanced by brilliant lights and watched a spectacular show that had over six hundred performers and provided insight into the region’s economy, traditions and culture.

Despite having a very busy day, on their last night in Guilin, the students managed to find the energy to display their talents with their singing, dancing, acting and magic tricks. Well done!

On their last day, the students climbed over 1000 steps to visit Long sheng, a minority village located amongst colourful, terraced rice paddies. They also made and tasted bamboo tube rice, before returning to their buses for the journey to the airport.

This year’s Experiencing China trip certainly showcased the beauty of Guilin and its surrounding counties, the hospitality of the people and the region’s rich cultural traditions.