On the evening of Thursday 19 September, 22 students along with Miss Jennifer Molloy, Head of Year 8; Mrs Sue Collister, Director of Boarding Services; and Ms Winnie Xie, Chinese Teacher, set off on a 10-day China Cultural Study Tour, visiting Beijing, Xi’an, Hangzhou and Shanghai. The tour group comprised nine Year 8 students, nine Year 9 students, three Year 10 students and one Year 11 student. Many new friendships across the year levels developed and there was a strong sense of camaraderie amongst the group.

Below are some reflections from the Year 8 students who participated in the tour.

“After hearing so much about China, it was really exciting to get a chance to go there. It was amazing to visit so many structures that were created thousands of years ago and are still standing today like the Terracotta Warriors and the Forbidden City. A highlight of the trip was definitely climbing up The Great Wall and being rewarded with an amazing view at the top. It was a great opportunity to see the Olive Tree International Academy and how different school is in China to Australia. I loved my time in China and would highly recommend it as an opportunity for other students.” – Julia Kent.

The 22 St Catherine’s students who participated in the China Cultural Study Tour.

“The China study tour was a really great trip which I enjoyed sharing with my school friends. One of the highlights of the trip for me was climbing The Great Wall with its spectacular views. Our visit to the Olive Tree International Academy allowed us to see its fantastic facilities such as the athletics track. I highly recommend visiting China because it has such an ancient and fascinating history.” – Sienna Darcy.

“I really enjoyed the amazing sights and landmarks we visited in China as well as the company. The highlight for me was the memories made throughout the trip.” – Charlotte Henderson.

“The China trip was a great trip for me because of the friendships I made. Some of the highlights I really enjoyed were the visit to The Great Wall, the Kung Fu show, visiting the Olive Tree International Academy and spending time in the morning at the School.” – Chloe Shergold.

“I enjoyed the China trip. We met new people and made new friends not only in our year level but across all of the year levels. The highlights for me were the Terracotta Warriors, visiting students at the Olive Tree International Academy, the Kung Fu show, and the night cruise in Shanghai where we saw the buildings lit up with amazing lights.” – Catherine Karas.

“The China Study Tour was an amazing experience, one I will always remember. One of the most amazing aspects of the trip was climbing The Great Wall of China, seeing something that was so old and beautiful. Climbing to the fifth point was really amazing and something I will never forget. Another highlight was seeing the fascinating Terracotta Warriors in their pit, also visiting the Olive Tree International Academy where we got to experience what school in China is like. Overall the trip was a fantastic experience to bond friendships with other students and travel to China. I would really recommend this trip.” – Milla Naylor.

The Year 8 students who participated in the China Cultural Study Tour.

“The China trip was amazing and an experience I will never forget. A few of my favourite places and activities were the Kung Fu show, travelling on the rickshaw in Beijing and the visit to the Olive Tree International Academy and spending time in the school. Another great experience was climbing The Great Wall. Although it was challenging, my friends and I made it to the top and the view was definitely worth it. I made heaps of new friends in China and I will remember the trip forever.” – Georgia Szer.

“I really enjoyed visiting China. It was a great experience and a great opportunity to expand my friendship group. I enjoyed the challenge of climbing The Great Wall and I also loved the Kung Fu show. I also greatly enjoyed the shopping and learning how to count in Chinese. I think it was a great experience and I recommend it to everyone.” – Millie Brown.

“During the Term 3 holiday, a group of 22 girls including myself attended the China Study Tour, where we visited four different Chinese cities and saw many amazing sites. We had the most amazing experiences. We started in Beijing where we saw many ancient tourist attractions including The Great Wall and saw the most incredible Kung Fu show. We travelled on a train travelling at 306 kilometres per hour for four hours until we reached Xi’an where we met our new tour guide Jasmine and saw the famous Terracotta Warriors. Our next stop was Hangzhou where we met Mrs Carroll and visited the Olive Tree International Academy, where we had a tour of the school and even attended some classes. Shanghai was by far my favourite city as we did some shopping, visited a silk worm factory and had the nicest hotel and went on an amazing night cruise along the river. Overall, this trip was one to remember and I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone whether they learn Chinese or not as this is a great opportunity to make friends in other years and see a whole new country that is so different to home.” – Lily Maisano.