On 9 to 14 April, seven Form 4 students took part in an exchange programme with Tsinghua University High School in Beijing China, living with our buddies, as well as visiting some local points of interest.

On the day of our arrival, we met up with our school buddies at Tsinghua University High School and shortly after they took us to their homes - where we resided throughout the 6 days of our star. Our buddies told us more about themselves and treated us to a delicious meal right after we arrived at our respective home stays. Through our conversations, we found out that life as a student in Beijing is quite different from the one in Hong Kong.

On the second day, after having lessons in the morning with our buddies, we visited the Palace Museum of the Forbidden City. The Hall of Supreme Harmony was especially eye-catching to us as we were captivated by the ornate decorations and throne room throughout the ages. We returned to the school campus after the visit to meet our buddies who then took us to different venue for the night, such as the National Stadium (also known as the Bird's Nest), and the National Library of China.

On the third day, we shadowed our buddies and had different lessons with them throughout the day. One of the highlights was definitely our participation in their "exercise session" - during which the whole school jogged and did specific exercise routine between the second and third period. Another highlight for us was our joining the different clubs that our buddies are in and doing a series of fun-filled activities there during the last two periods, including dancing, computer programming and much more. After school, our buddies again took us to different places for the night. We went to the Old Summer Palace and Sanlitun respectively.

We visited the Great Wall in the morning of the fourth day which was magnificent and gorgeous. We felt really exhausted because we had to walk up the steep stairs in order to reach the top of The Great Wall. We also had to take special care when walking back down due to the uneven steps. Then, we went back to school to watch a thrilling basketball challenge match for the afternoon.  After school, we attended a farewell dinner with our buddies and Ms Zhang, the Deputy Secretary of Party Committee of Tsinghua University High School. Our friends from Beijing treated us to a buffet meal in a pizza parlour. Some of us continued to visit different places after dinner, for example Qianmen Street and Tiananmen Square.

On the morning of the fifth day, we visited the Capital Museum of China. During our stay there, we learnt more about the history of our country and Beijing itself. After returning to school during lunch and having two more lessons with our buddies, we set off again to visit Tsinghua University. There, their staff introduced us to their campus and held a small admission talk.

On the sixth day, a Saturday and our last day in Beijing, our buddies brought us to different places to visit in the morning. In the afternoon, we went back to Tsinghua University High School for the final time and finally bidded farewell to our buddies before departing for Beijing Capital International Airport, and catching the flight back home. We can honestly say that we gained a lot from this exchange programme, not least a rich understanding of our country's unique culture and tradition, as well as the gracious hospitality of our hosts at Tsinghua University High School.

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