Sichuan Cultural Study Tour Concludes Successfully —
Students Return with Rewarding Experiences
From 27 to 31 March 2026, our school organised a five-day ‘Sichuan History, Arts and Culture Study Tour’, taking students to Chengdu and its surrounding areas for a field study. The tour aimed to deepen students' sense of identification with Chinese culture through visits to the historical and cultural landmarks of Sichuan Province, enhancing their knowledge of our country's history, arts and culture, and thereby strengthening their sense of national identity. The tour has concluded successfully, and students all found it highly rewarding.
Students first visited the Sansu Shrine Museum, where they learnt about the lives of the three great Northern Song literary masters — Su Xun, Su Shi and Su Zhe, father and sons. Through the museum's precious artefacts, calligraphy and paintings, together with the guide's detailed explanations, students came to understand the eminent status of the three Sus in the history of Chinese literature, and gained a fuller appreciation of Song dynasty culture and the trio's literary contributions.
On the second day, students took a boat trip to view the Leshan Giant Buddha. Carved into the mountainside, this statue of Maitreya Buddha took some ninety years to complete. Standing seventy-one metres tall, it is the largest stone-carved Buddha statue in the world and a renowned entry on China's World Cultural and Natural Heritage List. Gazing up at the Buddha's majestic form from the river, students marvelled at the exquisite craftsmanship and perseverance of the Tang dynasty artisans, and came to appreciate the constructional wisdom of the ancients. In the afternoon, the tour proceeded to the Baoguo Temple Scenic Area on Mount Emei, one of China's Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains, where students visited this famous temple and learnt about the transmission and development of Buddhist culture in China. Students then visited the Wuhou Shrine in Chengdu, the only shrine in China where a ruler and his minister are worshipped together, commemorating Zhuge Liang, Chancellor of the Shu Han kingdom, and Emperor Zhaolie (Liu Bei). Through guided tours, students learnt about the history of the Three Kingdoms period and felt the loyal patriotism of Zhuge Liang, who ‘gave his all until his heart ceased to beat’.
On the morning of the third day, the tour visited the 5.12 Wenchuan Earthquake Memorial Museum and Xuankou Middle School, situated at the epicentre. Confronted with the ruins left behind by the Wenchuan earthquake, students felt deeply the fragility and preciousness of life, and were profoundly moved by the spirit of the entire nation uniting as one to rebuild homes, experiencing the kinship of compatriots that runs thicker than water. Afterwards, students visited the Dujiangyan Giant Panda Centre, where they observed at close quarters the living habits of the giant pandas — our national treasure — learnt about the country's efforts in ecological conservation, and gained an understanding of how the nation has systematically protected this once-endangered species. Students then examined the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, which boasts a history of more than two thousand years, learning about the water-management wisdom of Li Bing and his son and how they employed various methods to divert the Minjiang River, and coming to understand how this great irrigation project brought about the prosperity of the ‘Land of Abundance’. Students also took photographs at the panda selfie statue in Yangtianwo Square, soaking up the vibrancy of Chengdu, a city where the ancient and the modern converge.
On the fourth day, the tour visited the Sanxingdui Museum. Unearthed artefacts such as the bronze sacred tree and the protruding-eyed masks proved a real eye-opener for students, giving them a profound appreciation of the diverse yet unified and time-honoured character of Chinese civilisation, and stirring a deep sense of national pride. In the afternoon, at the Liyuan Opera House of Wenshu Monastery, students savoured covered-bowl tea whilst enjoying a Sichuan opera face-changing performance. The performers' astonishing skill in changing masks in the blink of an eye drew thunderous applause, allowing students to experience at first hand the artistic charm of this national intangible cultural heritage. Students then strolled through Wenshufang, taking in the atmosphere of old Chengdu's traditional streets, and each received a painted fan featuring classical Chinese poetry as a cultural memento of the trip.
On the final day of the itinerary, students visited the Du Fu Thatched Cottage, tracing the former residence of the ‘Poet Sage’ Du Fu during his sojourn in Chengdu. Strolling through the tranquil gardens, students felt deeply Du Fu's patriotic devotion and concern for the people, bringing this cultural journey to a fitting close.
The study tour featured a rich itinerary, and students gained a great deal from it. With regard to historical knowledge — from the ancient Shu civilisation of Sanxingdui, the Qin dynasty irrigation works of Dujiangyan, the Three Kingdoms stories of the Wuhou Shrine and the Tang dynasty stone carving of the Leshan Giant Buddha, to the Song dynasty literature of the Sansu Shrine — students felt as though they were walking through a vivid, tangible scroll of Chinese history, which deepened their understanding of the nation's historical development. With regard to artistic enrichment — Sichuan opera face-changing, the stone carvings of the Leshan Giant Buddha, the Buddhist temple architecture of Baoguo Temple, and the painted poetry fans — students came into direct contact with a variety of traditional art forms, thereby enhancing their cultural and artistic literacy.
More importantly, students were deeply touched by a sense of devotion to the country and its people. The visit to the Yingxiu earthquake site enabled students to appreciate the spirit of mutual support and blood kinship amongst compatriots, whilst the giant panda conservation work demonstrated the nation's commitment to ecological protection. Having personally set foot on the soil of the motherland and witnessed the country's rich historical heritage and advanced modern development, students on the whole developed a deeper sense with their national identity.
Our school will continue to organise similar Mainland study tours in future, affording more students the opportunity to step outside the classroom, learn about our motherland and broaden their horizons.
