Students Embark on Cultural Exchange and Debate in China

The high school Mandarin class, consisting of ten students, embarked on an immersive trip to Chengdu, China, in late November. The primary goal of the six-day trip was to engage in an international speech debate with teams from both China and across the U.S., along with the opportunity for unique experiential learning activities.

In the three days leading up to the debate, students toured many destinations, including a panda sanctuary, a famous tea house night market, a traditional Chinese village, Dujiangyan Irrigation System, University of Electronic Science and Technology, and Chengdu Chengfei High School, where the debate was being hosted. Highlights from students included watching a traditional Sichuan opera performance, learning about the city’s history at the Chengdu Museum, trying their hand at Chinese calligraphy art, and experiencing authentic Chinese cuisine. Altogether, these excursions provided unique insights into Chinese history, language and culture.

On the final day of the trip, the students engaged in spirited speech debates against 18 other teams, nine of which were American and eight Chinese. In a crowning achievement, seniors Johnny Hickey and Devan Dennis secured the championship, showcasing their exceptional Mandarin and debate skills. The journey concluded with a final banquet, where students said goodbye to their newfound friends from China and various U.S. states.

“There are certain limits to learning a language in a classroom. No matter how much you practice, having class twice a week will never be as useful as actually conversing with a native speaker. Going to China not only showed me my limits within the language, but also where I excel. I started learning the language when I was very young, and sometimes I lose sight of why I learn it, simply because I’ve never not been learning it. Going on this trip helped me to understand how important learning this language is, because it opens up an entire other world to you, filled with rich history and interesting culture.” – Senior Devan Dennis

China Trip 2023

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