WildChina Education is a proud partner of UNITAR, so today we’d like to share with you 5 of our United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) school trips to China. As a licensed organization, WildChina is able to review and award UNITAR certifications to qualifying students (our Academic Managers can tell you more!). If you want to know what UNSDG school trips to China would look like in Guangxi, Hainan, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Shangri-La, keep reading to find out!
Camping, Climbing, and Caving in Guilin, Guangxi
The SDGs this trip seeks to meet are goals 3, 4, and 10, which are Good Health and Well-being, Quality Education, and Reduced Inequalities, respectively. Once you meet your WildChina program leader in Guilin, you’ll take a 1.5-hour bus drive to Yangshuo (陽朔, yáng shuò), a small town with a laid-back local atmosphere that will bring you an authentic side of China. You will have some time to rest and relax in your hotel before the days ahead.
To really savor the views of Yangshuo, you’ll go on a group biking trip, cycling through the pristine countryside. You will then learn about Yao customs and have a traditional Yao meal. The next day of your school trip to China will bring you to a limestone cave, where your students will learn about the subterranean world. That afternoon, you’ll try out some bamboo weaving and enjoy a BBQ dinner and bonfire party.
Day 3 of your school trip to China includes hiking to a tea plantation in the countryside, where you and your students will learn all about Chinese tea-drinking customs. Your students will get to construct rafts, build catapults, and enjoy the beautiful lake scenery before having an outdoor movie night.
The next morning, you’ll get to kayak or do SUP (stand up paddling) on the water. What a great way to start your day! Afterward, you’ll be participating in a rock climbing workshop with some of China’s most experienced rock climbers. Come nightfall, your students will cook their own dinner with camping stoves.
One last activity your students will get to do on this school trip to China is learning about survival skills, including how to start fires, knot tying, shelter building, and water filtration.
Hainan Island Conservation
Hainan (海南, hâi nán), a beach oasis, is one of the many picturesque places in China. However, the island’s natural environment is always struggling with the harmful consequences of mass tourism. That’s why on this school trip to China, we will be showing your students a different side of Hainan, reflecting UNSDG 3, 13, and 14 (Good Health and Well-being, Climate Action, and Life Below Water, respectively). Some things your students will learn about include sea turtle conservation, the impacts of climate change, and how human consumption affects the ecosystem.
On day 1 of your school trip to China, you will arrive at Haikou Airport and transfer to your hotel for your check-in. Take all the rest you need that night, since the rest of your trip will be filled with lots of physical activities, starting with WildChina Beach Olympics and an expert-led beach survival skills workshop. Your students will also partake in a beach cleanup service learning activity.
For your students’ sea turtle conservation education, you will be spending a day at the Marine Conservation Center. While you’re there, your students will participate in sea turtle cleaning, rescue and protection training, and turtle feeding. The next day, you will cycle along the Hainan coast while reveling in the seaside views.
During the last full day of your school trip to China, you’ll really have all the fun you deserve by spending the whole day in the water doing SUP, snorkeling, and surfing!
The Wonders of Sichuan (Xiaojin County)
This school trip to China brings you to Xiaojin County, Sichuan (四川, sì chuān). Xiaojin County’s Tibetan name is Tsanlha and is located northwest of Sichuan Province. Your students will get a taste of Tibetan culture and learn about its history, religion, and relationship with nature. Through traditional arts and crafts, and learning about Panda conservation, this school trip to China aligns with UNSDGs 1, 13, and 15 (No Poverty, Climate Action, Life on Land, respectively).
After meeting your WildChina program leader at the Chengdu (成都, chéng dū) airport, and checking in to your hotel, the first thing you will get to do is stroll through People’s Park. You’ll notice the slow and relaxed way of life of the locals, which will hopefully inspire you to slow down and become more mindful. Your students will also learn why Chengdu is famous for gastronomy in a Sichuan culinary workshop.
On day 2 of this school trip to China, you’ll take a 2-hour bus ride to a panda base in Wolong to learn about Panda conservation efforts. That evening, you’ll be back in Xiaojin County, meeting your Tibetan homestay hosts and enjoying delicious local cuisine. As part of the arts and culture portion of your school trip to China, you’ll go to the Marking Circle Dance Preservation Center to learn about the philosophy behind Tibetan dance and learn some steps along the way. You will also get to meet and interact with local artisans to understand the way their craft brings meaning to their daily lives.
On your last full day, you will engage in a mountain-praising ritual to understand the special relationship to nature that Tibetans have. Afterward, you and your students will hike through the nature reserve with a member of the local community, who will teach you about the area’s biodiversity. In the late afternoon, your students will also have the opportunity to learn from a forest ranger.
Mystery and Minorities in Guizhou
As a harbor of stunning landscapes, foggy mountains, and loads of traditional minority villages, Guizhou (貴州) is rich in cultural heritage. On this school trip to China, your students will be able to interact with Buyi and Miao people to better understand their culture and heritage. Through sustainable tourism and cultural immersion, this trip meets UNSDGs 1, 5, and 15 (No Poverty, Gender Equality, and Life on Land, respectively).
On day 1 of this school trip to China, you’ll be arriving at Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport and taking a 2-hour bus ride to Buyi Village. After a full night’s rest (you will surely need it), you will be hiking for 2 hours to a traditional Buyi village, where you’ll meet the locals and set up camp for the evening.
The next day, you will head to Qingyan Miao Village to do a traditional embroidery and brocading workshop. You will also get to experience a Miao-style Long Table Banquet with a local family. On your way to Kali that afternoon, you will make a pit stop at Shiqiao Miao Village to learn about traditional paper making.
On day 3 of your school trip to China, you will find yourselves at Black Miao Village, watching a traditional Miao singing and dancing show. Afterward, your students will learn a traditional drum dance. You will then get to visit a famous Silversmith to make silver ornaments in the afternoon.
Day 4 will be the most physically taxing day by far. After transferring to Leigong Mountain Reserve, you will hike for the whole day and spend the evening immersed in the local Miao culture as you stay overnight in a guesthouse.
Mountain Kingdoms in Shangri-La & Tacheng
As another foray into Tibetan culture, this trip brings you to Shangri-La (香格里拉, xiāng gé lî lā) and Tacheng (塔城, tâ chéng), where you’ll see lamaseries, national parks, and golden sub-nosed monkeys. WildChina has been a proud advocate of the golden snub-nosed monkey conservation for almost 30 years. This final UNSDG school trip to China reflects goals 4, 13, and 15 (Quality Education, Climate Action, and Life on Land, respectively).
The first thing your students will be doing after arriving at the Shangri-La airport and checking into your hotel is a scavenger hunt right inside the ancient monasteries of the Tibetan old town. You may also choose to join the locals in their evening dance.
The next day, you’ll take a 4-hour drive to Nixi Village in Tacheng Golden Monkey National Park, making a pit stop at Napa Lake for a fun horse riding activity! At the village park, your students will visit the homes of the Lisu Ethnic Minority and meet a local pottery master, who will teach you how to sculpt your own Nixi Pottery trinket. As an evening activity, your students will learn more about Lisu traditions and culture and have a Q&A session with the local village chief. Your WildChina program leader will also show you a documentary film about the Lisu people and the golden snub-nosed monkeys, titled “In the Heart of the Forest.”
On day 3 of your school trip to China, you’ll be hiking in the nature reserve and observing the golden snub-nosed monkeys in their natural habitat. For the rest of the day, you’ll be shadowing a forest ranger, who will teach your students how to track the golden snub-nosed monkeys.
On your last full day, you’ll say goodbye to your Tacheng hosts and transfer to Shangri-La Grand Canyon for an exciting zip-lining activity! That evening, you will enjoy a farewell Tibetan cuisine dinner.
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With the Chinese borders recently opening up for travelers, we can’t wait to start planning an exciting school trip to China with you! If there are any learning objectives that you’d like your school trip to meet, our Academic Managers can help you with that to help your students become better global citizens. They are here to design thought-provoking trips that will link classroom learning to the world around them. WildChina has been crafting innovative, experiential tours for more than 20 years, and we’ve worked with institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, and Dulwich, just to name a few. We are Asia’s oldest and most established leader in educational travel. If any of these trips have piqued your interest, we’d love to hear from you today!
