On November 3, 2013, International Student Office in HUST organized a one-day tour around the city, Wuhan. About 50 foreign students took part in this activity together with 18 Chinese students from SICA. The City Tour started at 8:30 a.m. on a bright Sunday morning from the Friendship Apartment. Students were put into two buses and were divided into 6 groups. Each group had 3 Chinese SICA members to serve as guides and to introduce the students to the famous land marks of the city.
The students arrived to their first destination, GuiYuanTemple, one hour later at 9:36 a.m. TheGuiYuanTempleis a revered historic land mark which is very popular among the locals. Many people visit it to make wishes and ask for the Buddha’s help. Wansha, an international student, was very interested in theTempleand Buddhists he saw there. "I have been in Wuhan for 3 years and I am a big fan of the Chinese culture,” he said and continued, “when I first came to Wuhan people told me that I needed to visit the Yellow Crane Tower if I wanted to get to know the city. And so I did, and found it beautiful. This is my first time to visit a temple that has so many Buddhists. One day I wish to go to the Luohan House and find my own Buddha.”
After the spellbinding visit to the temple, the tour was headed to the city zoo. Throughout the journey students made the atmosphere lively and enjoyable with various songs from their respective countries. A student from South Africaeven sung a Chinese song. He said, “I have been inChinafor a year and I love Chinese songs. I studied Chinese language and have passed my HSK exams. My favorite Chinese song is ‘Pengyou’, I like its lyrics.”
The tour buses reached the Zoo at 11:30 a.m. and students were given 2 hours to look around. There were all kinds of animals in the Zoo such as lions, elephants, sheep, fish, bears and pandas. Pandas seemed to steal the show, for it was most students’ first time to see live pandas.
The 3rd and scenic destination was the Qingchuan Pavilion. Students arrived there at 2:40 p.m. The pavilion was built in commemoration of the national hero, Dayu, who fought with flood in the ancient Chinese history. The students were able to see the Yangtze River and the Yangtze RiverBridgefrom the pavilion, which was a beautiful sight.
The last destination was the River Beach Park, which is located along the Yangtze River inWuhan. The park is divided into three areas: Sightseeing Area, Center Square Area and Leisure Area. Students had the benefit of seeing the trees with colorful autumn leaves, beautiful flowers and sculptures in the park. Many European style buildings are found there, built before 1949 along the riverside, representing what the city was like in years passed away. Across the beach, you can see rows of weeds fluttering in the wind. The students wrote on the beach with branches and took pictures of it. One of the students even learned to dance from an active woman on the square. They all had a wonderful time.
At 5:30 p.m., it was time to head back to the campus. From the looks on their faces, though exhausted, the students were content with the Tour.” I think it is a really good activity and I enjoyed it,” said Khurram. “I would suggest for such activities to be held if not once a month, at least once a semester. We visited many places and I got a much better understanding of Wuhanthrough the City Tour. I hope SICA considers my suggestion,” he added.
The trip ended at 7:30 p.m. in the evening and was a great success. Students did have a wonderful time. Such activities should be held more often.
