From June 6 to 8, 2026, Grade 5 students from Tsinghua International School (THIS), accompanied by Associate Head of Primary Ms. Helen Luo, teachers Ms. Li Jingjing, Mr. Sam Pophams, Ms. Latonya Jones, and teaching assistants Ms. Maureen Shang and Ms. Connie Jiao, traveled south to Hangzhou and Shaoxing for an immersive study tour. Among lakes and hills, they explored nature and history, calligraphy and spirit, tea culture and the elegance of the Song Dynasty—all intertwined threads of Chinese heritage.
Beautiful Scenery, Shared Love for Home Country
"The shimmering lake is lovely in the sunshine, and the misty mountains are just as wonderful in the rain. If West Lake were compared to a beauty, she would be charming whether lightly or heavily made up." For hundreds of years, West Lake has drawn countless poets and scholars with its stunning scenery and rich historical sites. West Lake is not just a scenic spot—it is the soul of the city. And that's where the students' first lesson began.
They boarded a painted boat, and the oars gently parted the blue-green water, revealing West Lake before their eyes. The weather was perfect—a cool breeze brushed their faces, and the distant hills were hidden in thin mist, light and dark just like a freshly finished ink painting. As the boat moved, their guide, Teacher Liu, pointed to the buildings and views along the shore and told them the stories behind the "Ten Scenes of West Lake"—from "Spring Dawn at Su Causeway" to "Melting Snow on Broken Bridge." When they reached the best spot to see the "Three Pools Mirroring the Moon," they pulled out their one-yuan bills and compared the real view with the picture on the money. The boat cabin filled with happy shouts of surprise.
Our first day at West Lake was a lesson about poetry. We rode the painted boat, watched the misty Su Causeway in the spring morning, and listened to the stories of the Ten Scenes. As the boat glided across the water, the reflection of Leifeng Pagoda rippled in the waves—and I finally understood what it means to be "charming whether lightly or heavily made up."
— Sophia Huo, G5
The lake sparkled with ripples, and a few wooden boats floated gently on the water. Across the lake, green mountains were wrapped tightly in layer after layer of trees. Dark green and light green leaves crowded together, forming a thick green sea.
— Annie Wu, G5W
West Lake is not only beautiful, but it also carries the hard work of many generations, which makes it even more precious.
— Matthew Zhao, G5W
Right by West Lake stands Yue Wang Temple, with its grand halls and solemn pine trees. In front of the eight murals, scenes like "Mother Yue Tattooing" and the great victory at Zhuxian Village made the words in the students' textbooks suddenly feel real. Under the stele corridor, they recited "Man Jiang Hong" together—"My hair stands up in anger, leaning against the railing..." Their young voices were not loud, but they carried strength. At that moment, it felt as if Yue Fei's gaze was reaching across time to meet theirs.
At Yue Wang Temple, I felt Yue Fei's qualities—his kindness to others, his courage, and his skill in battle. He is a true hero!
— Bonnie Zheng, G5P
As night fell, they went to Xixi Wetland to watch the show "Tonight, Together in Xixi." The performance used the wetland as its stage and the water town as its backdrop, telling the story of the Hong family through poetic dance, folk music, and amazing lights and shadows. The students moved from scene to scene, surrounded by swaying reeds and beautiful landscapes, feeling the love for family and country. It was a poetic end to a busy but wonderful day.
Under the water-screen lights, love and patriotism intertwined. Actors moved through the water and among the buildings, as if traveling through time. Though the day was packed, among the beautiful lakes and hills, we understood the weight and gentleness of this land.
— Alice Ren, G5W
From the patriotic spirit of Yue Wang Temple to the poetry of West Lake and the immersive night at Xixi, the students learned one thing in Hangzhou: true elegance can never be separated from responsibility.
The Spirit of Calligraphy and the Backbone of a Nation
Lanting—the birthplace of the "Orchid Pavilion Preface," known as the greatest running-script calligraphy in history—has sites like the Winding Stream and Goose Pond Pavilion that reflect the refined culture of the Wei and Jin dynasties. Wang Xizhi's gathering with friends over a thousand years ago met the students across time. Their teacher told them the legend of "practicing calligraphy with eighteen jars of water," and they listened with fascination. When it was their turn to copy the Orchid Pavilion Preface, their brushstrokes were clumsy but earnest.
The second day—Lanting and Lu Xun's hometown—was a lesson about culture. At Lanting, we copied the Orchid Pavilion Preface. In the smell of ink, we could almost hear the laughter from the ancient winding-stream gathering. Every stroke held the elegance and spirit of the ancients.
— Sophia Huo, G5P
The cobblestone streets of Lu Xun's hometown stretched beneath the students' feet. From the Hundred-Plant Garden to the Three-Flavored Study, the words from their textbooks suddenly became three-dimensional: the soapberry tree, the stone well, the vegetable beds. They held their study booklets and matched each detail like treasure hunters. Inside the Three-Flavored Study, the old desks and chairs were silent, but they could almost hear the young Lu Xun reading aloud.
Watching "Luzhen 1919," they "stepped into" the stories and saw characters like Xianglin's Wife, Ah Q, and Kong Yiji come to life on stage. They truly felt the sadness and oppression of that society. It was a deep conversation with Lu Xun's spirit—seeing light in the darkness, understanding responsibility through hardship, and thinking about their own place in history.
Watching the play, I suddenly understood the meaning of "the backbone of a nation." Back in reality, I looked at my classmates and the bright sunshine, and I felt a new kind of gratitude. We are so lucky to sit in bright classrooms and chase our dreams freely—all because of people like Mr. Lu Xun who gave everything. He taught me that a person can be small but not numb, ordinary but not cold. I want to be like him—someone with thoughts and a warm heart.
— Matthew Zhao, G5W
On this journey, the students learned: culture is not just old books gathering dust—it is the courage to speak up and the responsibility to carry the flame forward.
Fragrant Tea and the Echoes of Song Dynasty
The weather was cool and pleasant, and Mount Jingshan was bathed in fresh green light.
The cool weather made tea-picking especially enjoyable. The students walked up the mountain path, with tea terraces rising layer by layer on both sides, so green it felt like it soaked into their hearts. The air was filled with a light, grassy fragrance. They stepped into the tea garden, where tender buds swayed gently in the breeze. They bent down, carefully picked one bud and one leaf, and held them in their palms to examine.
After picking came the tea-frying. The tea master tossed their freshly picked leaves into the hot wok, flipping them with quick hands. The green leaves crackled in the heat, and a rich aroma rose with the steam. The students crowded around, trying their hand at stirring the leaves, watching wide-eyed as the tender greens slowly lost moisture, deepened in color, and gave off an even stronger fragrance.
We also tried tea-picking. Holding the leaves I had picked with my own hands, I suddenly understood—Lu Xun's life went from wealth to poverty to struggle, just like tea leaves. They go through many steps and many hardships, but they never give up. "After countless grinds and blows, they stand strong." As people, we must persist and not give up when things get hard. In the end, we can all taste the "fragrance of life."
— Wang Yiran, G5P
Today was filled with green and the scent of tea. In the morning we walked into the tea garden, where tender buds danced between our fingertips. While we were busy picking, we spotted a huge long-horned beetle on a leaf—its black shell gleamed and its long antennae kept waving, drawing a crowd. Later, we watched the master fry the tea, and the fragrance released by the heat was intoxicating.
— Alice Ren, G5W
Later, they visited Luyu Spring. Over a thousand years ago, the "Tea Sage" Lu Yu drew water here to brew tea and wrote the world's first book on tea, The Classic of Tea. As they listened to the story, they could almost picture that elder in green robes sitting alone by the spring, sipping tea thoughtfully.
The most exciting part was trying their hand at the Song Dynasty tea-whisking art. They held tea whisks, poured in water, and whisked until a fine froth formed on the surface. Then, using tea needles as brushes, they drew flowers, mountains, birds, and words on the white foam—what the Song people called "tea painting." In a little "tea competition," they all showed off their work, and laughter mixed with the tea aroma.
The third day on Mount Jingshan was a lesson about heritage. We whisked tea and had tea competitions like the ancients did, while the teacher told us about the history of Matcha here. I never knew that the matcha I love actually comes from these hills in Jiangnan. As my fingers brushed the tea bowl, I suddenly realized that those seemingly distant traditions have always been part of our lives.
— Sophia Huo, G5P
One leaf, one cup of tea—that is how the Song people turned life into art.
On the high-speed train back, a magnificent sunset blazed across the sky, as if the heavens were rolling out a final scroll for the journey. It was as if the shimmer of West Lake had chased them to the horizon, as if the ink of Lanting had colored the clouds, and as if the elegance and spirit they had experienced along the way lit a warm lamp for their return.
The sun slowly sank like a burning fireball resting on the far horizon. The sky shifted through amazing colors—near the sun, a deep orange-red, then softening into gentle pink-purple, and higher up, a gray-white silhouette of rolling mountains. In the foreground stood a steel bridge and a tall signal tower, keeping lonely watch over the quiet dusk, as if looking into the distance.
The photos are beautiful, but what is even more beautiful is the feeling I had when I captured them. At that moment, the fields, bridges, and setting sun outside the window wove together into a story of a summer evening. I realized that we often get so busy with life that we forget to look up. Wherever we go, we should keep our eyes open for beauty and our hearts ready to record it. Let every moment of "knowing" turn into a step of "doing," so that life keeps recording the most beautiful views along the journey.
— Alice Ren, G5W
The mountains and water taught me to love nature. The historical sites showed me the spirit of loyalty to one's country. And the traditional culture told me: behind every perfect craft are four words—give your all!
— Amy Li, G5P
The real classroom of life is not inside a school building. It's among the plants of the Hundred-Plant Garden, on the buds of the tea trees, and in every moment when you choose to keep going even when you feel like giving up.
— Wang Yiran, G5P
Three Days,a Lifetime of Memories
From the beauty and spirit of West Lake, to the ink and backbone of Shaoxing, to the tea and Zen of Mount Jingshan—three days may be short, but they planted a seed in every young heart.
"I just can't leave Hangzhou—half the reason is this lake." But what really kept the students there was more than the lake. It was the poetry that has traveled through centuries, the strong figures who stood firm, the tea they whisked with their own hands, and—most of all—the journey they shared with their teachers and classmates right before graduation.
This was the best graduation gift of all.
