02 Nov A Field Trip to Yangshuo

When you’re a student, there’s nothing better than being told you’re going on a field trip. It doesn’t matter if it’s to the zoo, to the aquarium, or to a museum. Heck, I remember getting excited about going to the bank for math class. And I hate math.

During orientation at my new school in Shanghai, I learned that after just two months of teaching we would accompany one of the grade levels on a “China Trip.” Some would go to Inner Mongolia to learn about culture, some to a rural village in the mountains to build houses. And the seniors were going the beach for a week to learn how to surf.

I thought back to my trip to the bank and laughed.

I recently returned from a placed called Yangshuo–a small town in the south, famous for its limestone hills and rock climbing. For five days, the tenth graders and I biked along the Li River, explored the area’s most impressive caves, took cooking classes, tai chi lessons, and abseiled down the side of a mountain.

It was an amazing time, and I feel lucky to be working for an international school rather than a public school in Florida. (Note: I’m not knocking the public education system. I’m just stating that a field trip to southern China is a bit cooler than a trip to the bank. Maybe I’m still bitter?) However, after 100-plus hours with 30-plus 15-year-olds, I was ready to go home.

I will definitely visit Yangshuo again to experience it through the eyes of a tourist instead of a chaperone. It’s an area of immense beauty with lots to do, and I suggest others add it to their China itineraries as well, before tourism grows any further.

Here are some highlights:

Exploring the area by bike was my favorite part of the trip. It gave us a chance to see the countryside, as well as every day life within the quaint neighborhoods. Bike Asia is a reputable company with day trips running from $40 US dollars.

There are plenty of bamboo rafts for hire down the Yulong River, allowing you to view the scenery from a different vantage point.

My school booked the entire trip through outdoor education company, Insight Adventures. However, I hear good things about Black Rock Climbing for reasonable excursions.

Abseiling: the thing you do after you climb to the top. Rappelling down the side of a steep mountain was both beautiful and slightly terrifying.

“Impression Sanjie Liu,” or the evening light show, is something everyone should do while in Yangshuo. Set against the limestone mountains, hundreds of performers participate nightly in a Chinese-style musical. I had no idea what was happening, but was entertained non-the-less. Try to buy tickets close to the front row.

Walking along frenetic West Street (Xi Jie) allows for great people watching, souvenir shopping and eating. This street also seems to host most of the hostel options for backpackers.

There were several tai chi schools scattered around town. It seems that Yangshuo Traditional Tai Chi school is the most popular for a reason.

And while Yanghsuo is known more for its adventure sports than its cooking schools, my students and I still really enjoyed our time at Cloud 9.

The trip was truly amazing and I hope to return one day to have some more time to explore the beautiful landscape.