Last Friday, students studying Mandarin immersed themselves in Chinese culture at the British Museum, visiting the Silk Road Exhibition and the Sir Percival David Collection of Chinese Ceramics. They also looked at more exhibits in the China Gallery and South Asia Gallery. The trip finished with a very popular Chinese bubble tea experience.
Here are some of the students’ thoughts from the trip:
– I found the Mandarin trip immensely enjoyable. What captivated me most was the Northern Song ceramics, reportedly valued at £30 million. Being able to see such rare and historically significant artifacts firsthand was truly fascinating, deepening my appreciation for Chinese history.
– The Mandarin trip that I experienced last week was like no other. First of all, we went to the museum where we saw ancient Chinese ceramics that are worth a fortune, tea cups and plate designs that were inspired by China’s past, and much more. We then went to the Silk Road exhibition that contained lots of information regarding this famous trade route. At the time, the Silk Road was the longest trade route at 6,400km and was spread across over 40 different countries! Thirdly, we went to an exhibition about Chinese and South Asian goods. From model horses to ceramic dresses and from a Chinese tripod to a Ghandi puppet! This place had it all! To wrap up the day, we went to a bubble tea shop and ordered in Mandarin. Overall, the trip was amazing and I hope we have more of these in the future. I found everything, in general, very interesting!
– Last Friday on the Mandarin trip, we went to the British Museum in London. We first went to see ‘China and South Asia’ exhibits, including artworks and statues. After that, we went to the Silk Roads exhibition. We learnt that from around 500 BC to 1400 AD many traders travelled along the routes (stretched all the way from East Asia to Europe) – often on their camels and horses which formed ‘caravans’. Afterwards, we also had a guided tour in the Chinese ceramics room. There are more than 1700 pieces of ceramics, worth over £1bn. After lunch, we ordered a bubble tea each – all in Mandarin, which we had learnt the week before. Overall, I think that this was an excellent trip for all of the Mandarin students, and I think that we are all hoping for another one soon.
