Chinese-German Cultural Exchange
Partnership: Students from Johannes-Butzbach-Gymnasium Miltenberg on a two week visit to Shanghai and Beijing
Miltenberg/Shanghai:
On 10/25/2010 finally the day had come. 19 students and four teachers from Johannes-Butzbach-Gymnasium Miltenberg arrived at No.2 Secondary School attached to Tongji University in Shanghai after they had flown for 11 hours and taken a bus through the outskirts of Shanghai. A further step to support the partnership between both schools which started in 2003 after members of both schools had met at an international music festival in Berlin. After the principal Liu You Xia had welcomed the fourth group from Miltenberg – including a first group photo – the German students got to know their Chinese exchange partners. Right away our students experienced some insights into daily Chinese family life including food adventures which had to be talked about the next morning. All in all the first week in Shanghai was determined by a very colorful program. On two days the German students took part in the lessons of their Chinese partners or learned in extra organized lessons about the Chinese art of Tai Chi and Calligraphy. Furthermore, entertaining programs concentrating on the cultural exchange were carried out in the afternoons. A group of Mexican students also took part in these programs. Shortly before the official ending of the EXPO in Shanghai our group was able to visit this highly interesting world exhibition which was blessed with a record amount of visitors. During a day trip to the near-by „small“ town of Suzhou – with only seven million inhabitants – the German and Chinese students received some information about the German company WIKA in one of their factories, which had been built in several years ago. Later that day, we visited the magnificent park area around „Tiger Hill“. The host families used the weekend to show their German guests around the city of Shanghai with all its sights. Our students will never forget the impressions they won of the fascinating and overwhelming city caught between tradition and modernity.
Shanghai/Beijing:
Monday morning, a week after the arrival, it was time to say good-bye to our host school, the host families and Shanghai. The trip was continued to Beijing where sightseeing was the main activity. We visited the historic sites in and around Beijing just as the Great Wall and the modern sport facilities of the Olympic Games 2008. A short trip to the „village“ of Chengde – 300.000 inhabitants – where we saw the Chinese emperor’s summer residence completed our journey.
On the long flight from Beijing to Frankfurt the students had some time to process all their overwhelming impressions of China. Finally we all arrived well and happy about the great positive experience we had gained at Johannes-Butzbach-Gymnasium Miltenberg in the morning of 11/7/2010.
Visit from China
The last week of school before the Bavarian summer holidays next year there will be a reunion, when the Chinese students will be our guests in Miltenberg. To intensify the partnership between both schools, plans have been forged over dinner to start a teacher exchange as well…
(Bjoern Buelles)
