Spring Break in China
Spring is known as the season of serenity and reinvigoration of life. Given the extremity of China’s cold winters and harshly hot summers, Spring is one of the best and relaxing seasons to appreciate and enjoy in China. In light of the COVID disruptions that have occurred these past two years, it’s about time we get to soak up the fresh air and smell the blossoming nature.
If you’re looking to broaden your students’ life perspectives, then China is a highly recommended destination to experience a completely different culture and way of life. This requires planning spring break trips in China that capitalize on the pleasant weather that spring entails, and exploring new terrains and activities that will leave a positive imprint on them for life.
This article will provide an overview of the nature of Springtime in China and, given the country’s size, explain how it varies across different regions. This article will also provide tips on how you can make the most out of the Spring in China for your students by partaking in activities, food, and festivals that you can’t afford to miss during this period (especially if you’re looking for a holistic cultural experience of China).
WildChina Education creates memorable, exciting educational tours and spring break trips particularly for students outside of China looking for the ultimate Chinese culture crash course by fully leveraging what the season has to offer. Whatever academic, physical, or mental hurdles you wish for your students to challenge and overcome, our spring break trips are tailored towards surpassing your needs and expectations.
Before we provide you with recommendations on some of our most popular spring break trips in China, let’s go a little bit deeper as to why visiting and traveling across China during Spring is so worthwhile.
Why Visit China in Spring?
In case you weren’t aware, springtime in China starts differently from the rest of the world, starting earlier in March and lasting until the end of May. During this period, you can expect consistent and generally pleasant weather that doesn’t lean on either extreme end of the weather spectrum. In other words, you’ll be able to enjoy pleasant sunshine without having to worry about turning on the air conditioner.
Given the sheer scale of China and how natural surroundings and plant life significantly differ depending on your location, you can expect to discover an array of different flowers and natural scenery native to each respective province revitalized and thriving during this period. It’s no surprise therefore that we highly recommend this season as an opportunity to partake in outdoor sightseeing activities that stimulate the mind and body. Spring is symbolized as the season that signifies a fresh start or new beginning, and what better way to encapsulate this message by experiencing an unforgettable spring break trip that leaves you feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world.
Tips for Spring Break Trips in China
Hopefully you’re beginning to get the idea that Spring is the perfect time to enjoy all of China’s plentiful scenery, culture, and history. There are still a lot of unknowns amongst foreigners when it comes to the understanding and familiarity of China. It is easy for newbies and those unfamiliar with China to enter the country unprepared, feeling overwhelmed, and consequently not fully optimizing their time in China. And so here are some tips that you take in consideration before you start planning your spring break trip to China.
Define the duration of your program
First of all, China is a very big country, similar in size to the US. And just like the US, there are various landscapes across China that you either probably never expected or even knew about! From the mountainous and desert regions in the North to the tropical and forest regions in the south, the huge differences in latitude means that spring starts earlier in the south and a little later in the north of China.
China’s large size also means that you will have to be very calculated and realistic in setting the time and activity parameters of your trip. Which landmarks, cities, or points of interest are a priority for your students to see? This will determine the amount of time required to realistically tick off all the boxes of your itinerary.
Moreover, try to be realistic and practical about the amount of activities and locations you will be able to fit in your trip. A plane trip from Beijing to Yunnan province can take roughly between 3-4 hours! So think wisely as to which areas of China you wish to travel to, and the order of your travels as this will save you a significant amount of time.
Decide your itinerary
Second, definitively outline your goals for your spring break trip to China. What do you plan or hope for your students to see and experience during your trip? Outlining your goals and expectations of the trip is very straightforward, and starts off with knowing and establishing your likes and interests.
Nature
To experience the best of China’s natural landscapes and plant life, you’ll want to focus on visiting particular provinces. If you’re interested in flowers, there are plenty of places in China that you can visit. Bright plum blossoms can be found in China’s historic capital of Nanjing. Fields of rapeseed flowers can be seen covering Luoping, located in Yunnan province, like a carpet of yellow.
For breathtaking mountains and glistening rivers, consider traveling to Siguniang in Sichuan province or Qiandaohu in Zhejiang province – you won’t regret it! Or if you fancy being adventurous, give rock climbing on the picturesque mountains of Yangshuo a go.
And if you’re an animal lover, then you would be remiss not to see with your own two eyes the rare sighting of the snub-nosed monkey in Yunnan province and the cuddly panda in Sichuan province.
History
For the history fanatics that want a deeper understanding of traditional Chinese history, then of course the most iconic pieces of history such as the Great Wall of China, Terra-cotta warriors, and Tulou earth buildings are truly extraordinary pieces of architecture that should be ticked off your China travel list.
China is a vastly populated country home to 56 ethnic groups in China, each with their unique traditions, culture, and food. Meet and observe the Miao people in Guizhou province or the Naxi/Bai people in Yunnan province for a once in a lifetime experience of authentic Chinese culture.
For a taste of traditional Chinese art and music, WildChina Education has organized trips to local ancient villages in Anhui and Zhejiang province in which students can listen and learn how to play traditional instruments and folk music performed by the villagers.
Enjoy the seasonal food
Trying out the local cuisine is arguably one of the most important aspects of traveling and exploring a new country. Thankfully, you’ll be happy to hear that rustic and authentic Chinese food is known for bursting full of flavor without breaking your wallet!
There are plenty of seasonal foods and dishes that you’ll find to be more commonplace during certain seasons, so make sure you take advantage of the seasonal foods that spring has to offer. Eat like the locals and get your hands on some qingtuan (glutinous rice dumplings), bamboo shoot dishes and crispy spring pancakes.
Check for upcoming festivals
Spring in China is known for hosting various national and regional festivals in China that may affect your travels, but also be of interest to you if you want to see what occasions the local Chinese population celebrates. If you notice crowds of people huddled together in front of a burning fire, it’s probably because they are honoring their ancestors which is part of the Qingming festival tradition. Qingming festival is also a public holiday in China, meaning it’s the perfect opportunity for spring outings and fun activities, so make sure to arrive earlier than normal to your destination if you plan to visit China during this festival.
There are other regional holidays too that happen during spring. For example, the Sisters Meal Festival in Guizhou is celebrated by the Miao people of Guizhou province and is regarded as one of the oldest valentines festivals. During this festival, you can expect to see grandmothers, mothers, and other female relatives of the Miao people adorn shiny silver pieces of decoration and cook their iconic ‘dyed rice’ for everyone to enjoy.
An outdoor activity that young and old Chinese people love to do during spring and summer time is fly their kites. The Weifang International Kite Festival is an annual kite-flying festival held in Weifang, Shandong province. During this festival, droves of people celebrate their love for kites by flying their best and most outlandish kites for the public to see. Seeing thousands of kites flying in the sky in one vicinity is definitely a rare sight to experience.
WildChina Education’s Tailored Spring Break Trips
Sightseeing is great, and while WildChina Education’s spring break trips are designed to showcase the best of China’s sights during this season, we are committed to ensuring that students finish our school trips feeling edified and accomplished. Our approach is to construct thorough and balanced educational programs with clear educational purposes in mind for our students to think critically about the activities or sights they are exploring, beyond its face value.
This is achieved through our programs’ alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) which recognize the importance for countries and populations to come together and exert efforts that strive towards improving health and education, reducing inequality, tackling climate change, and preserving our oceans and forests for the betterment of the world and future generations to come.
WildChina Education is proud to boast a team of Academic Managers that hold educational-related Masters/Doctoral degrees. We place our trust in experts that have years of experience within the education industry, and they are a critical component in the strategization and execution of our educational spring break trips, and even our USA elite University MBA Programs that have been widely acclaimed by some of the most prestigious Ivy League universities and academic institutions in the world.
Our team is responsible for organizing a number of popular educational programs that are specifically tailored to consolidate students’ learning and help them achieve their educational goals. Take a look at some of these programs below:
Yunnan, China School Trips: Students will head to Yunnan where they will observe the endangered golden snub-nosed monkey for the first time. This program aims to show students where they fit in climate change, and how their actions contribute towards potential solutions. At the end of this program, students complete tasks and activities that elucidate where they fit into the ecosystem of change and climate change.
Guizhou, China School Trips: In this program, students will head to Guizhou and take part in a variety of sustainable tourism activities. Not only will students get involved in learning how to make various local handicrafts, they will also engage in multiple community service projects in order to give back to the local community. These sustainable tourism activities contribute to sustainable jobs and development in the local community. Moreover, they will provide students with an understanding of how to participate in responsible cultural exchanges, which may impact how they will engage in tourism for the rest of their lives.
Zhangjiajie, China School Trips: The northwestern border of the Hunan Province is Zhangjiajie, a mountainous region with a history of human civilization tracing back to the Neolithic Age. Students can expect to complete an adventurous hike in these mountains that are notably famous for inspiring the backdrop to the Hollywood blockbuster Avatar. Students will also visit a village not visited by tourists to help locals renovate and refurbish buildings such as old schools and orphanages.
Gansu, China School Trips: Situated along the legendary Silk Road, students traveling to Gansu province will learn from an established NGO to understand water scarcity and how to enact systemic change at the edges of the Gobi Desert. As part of achieving their learning objectives, students can expect to participate in the Gobi Challenge, where they will test their might and try to ‘survive’ in the harsh desert environment. Finally, a visit to the ancient Mogao Caves is an apropos cap off to an epic escapade in the desert, where students can learn about the history of the Mogao Caves’ preservation from an expert instructor.
Fujian, China School Trips: Directly across the Taiwan strait, Fujian is a mountainous, coastal region of southern China, home to the unique Tulou rural dwellings unique to the Hakka people that students will visit. This program aims to show your students the first hand impacts of climate change- especially how it harms local farming- and what these impacts could look like over the next 10 years, and more importantly, what your students can do to help.
So what are you waiting for? Contact WildChina Education for more information about how you can start enjoying your spring break in China.
