HIGH POINT, N.C., May 30, 2018 – After a semester of learning about China in a classroom, a group from High Point University traveled across the globe this month to experience the country’s language and culture for themselves.
The students and professors from one of HPU’s Global Experience courses spent May 7-22 in China exploring history, art, architecture and cuisine. Also called Maymesters, short-term study aboard programs like this help students connect their knowledge of a place with tangible experience.
For rising senior Griff Caligiuri, who studies Mandarin and is pursuing a career in international business, this was a great opportunity to practice his language skills and gain a deeper cultural understanding.
“This trip has not only been an incredibly fun time, but also an amazing learning opportunity,” said Caligiuri. “We have significantly increased our Mandarin proficiency through constant use with one another and locals. Also, we have immensely learned about not only the Chinese culture as a whole, but the subcultures within Beijing and Shanghai as well.”
Led by HPU professors Dr. Daliang Wang and Judy Danley, the group met with Chinese students from one of the universities in Shanghai.
They sampled Peking duck at the famous Quanjude Restaurant, watched a Shaolin Kung Fu demonstration, and visited the “Bird’s Nest,” the iconic stadium built for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Their travels also took them on the bullet train to Beijing, along the Great Wall and to Changling Tomb, the earliest and biggest Ming tomb built in the 15th century.
