30th October was a highly anticipated day for all of us. After 3 years of suspension of exchange programmes due to the pandemic, 38 S4 girls accompanied by teachers Mrs. V. Ma, Mrs. J. Hau, Mr. C. Lam, and Mr. K. Cheung eagerly set off to Beijing for a 5-day exchange tour to one of our sister schools, The Affiliated High School of Peking University (BDFZ). Arriving in the late afternoon, we got a glimpse of the spirited city by exploring one of its lively local night markets. We were warmly welcomed by representatives from BDFZ upon reaching the dormitories at night. We all had a restful night, and prepared ourselves well for the exciting activities planned on campus the next day.

At the break of dawn, we rose to the serene and harmonious atmosphere of the campus and were greeted enthusiastically by our buddies, who introduced themselves and the vibrant school life at BDFZ. For the rest of the day, we followed our buddies to their various classes ranging from languages to mathematics and the sciences, all of which were of very high standards. The students were actively engaged in their learning, and the teachers provided ready assistance when needed. We were astonished to know that there were breaks between each lesson, which gave students ample time to relax and recharge in order to be more concentrated during lessons.

During lunchtime, our buddies gave us a tour of the campus as we wandered through the academic and activity buildings, which housed the school’s numerous special rooms for multiple learning experiences such as art and performance, as well as over 15 sports courts and areas for their everyday PE lessons. We gasped at the state-of-the-art facilities the school provides, and the diverse extra-curricular learning opportunities the students are exposed to.

In the afternoon, we visited one of the most prestigious universities in China, Peking University (PKU). As soon as we arrived, we couldn’t help but admire the picturesque scenery of the campus. Surrounded by calming willow trees, a flock of ducks and geese were gliding across the crystal-clear lake. We immediately fell for this tranquil and peaceful environment we were in, and listened intently to a sharing session by the admissions officer and two current students studying at PKU after having completed their secondary education in Hong Kong. They gave valuable insights into the enthralling experiences the university could offer should we pursue our further education at PKU.

The next day, we visited two of Beijing's most significant historical monuments, namely The Forbidden City and The Great Wall of China. Whether it is the acres of land home to a complex of opulent imperial gardens and temples consisting of 980 buildings and nearly 10,000 rooms, or the magnificent brick and stone structures which stretch across a long distance of over 20,000 km, we were fascinated by the breadth and depth of China’s rich history hidden beneath these spectacular architectural sites. In particular, when we reached a viewing area atop the Great Wall, we were rewarded with breath-taking views of the scenic mountains behind us.

On days 3 and 4, we were treated to a series of activities revolving around the theme of ice and snow and the Winter Olympic Games held in Beijing in 2022. After a 2-hour-long ride, we finally arrived and settled in quickly at the Chong Li District outside of Beijing, where most of the skiing events during the Games were held. We first visited the Museum of Ice and Snow, which showcased the rich history of China in winter sports and the Winter Olympics in general. Looking back at the first-ever Chinese “Skiing Games” in 1957, we marvelled at how China transformed remarkably from a largely agrarian society to a global economic powerhouse and technological leader in just over half a century, and how Beijing became the first city ever to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. We also visited the Snow Ruyi National Ski Jumping Centre, derived from “Ruyi”, a traditional Chinese ornament symbolising the delivery of good luck and the realisation of dreams. We were impressed at the gigantic structure of the competition venue, and the manpower involved in building it. The unfortunate prospect of not being able to ski as planned due to unexpectedly warm weather did not dampen our spirits, as we had a taste of winter in northern China by admiring the scenic view of the ski resort through a cable car ride up to over 2000 meters high, and had immense fun playing with snow.

One of the highlights of the tour was the talks delivered by two renowned scholars and experts, who generously took time out of their extremely packed schedules to enlighten us on their expertise. Professor Zhang, Deputy Curator of the National Zoological Museum of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, gave us an engaging speech on endangered species in China, in particular the challenges in the conservation of arctic animals. He raised our awareness surrounding other endangered species scattered across various parts of China. He also pointed out that delightfully, the familiar giant pandas are in fact no longer classified as “endangered species” following the successful conservation effort of China in the past few decades. Professor Ao, Head of Chongli Campus of Peking University Third Hospital, gave us an introduction to the support that sports medicine offered to athletes during the Winter Olympic Games. We were impressed by how the team managed to utilise helicopters to send injured athletes to the nearest hospital in just a few minutes for high-quality emergency treatment. We gained great respect for the tireless efforts of the medical teams at the Winter Olympic Games.

During school days at BDFZ, we enjoyed our meals in the school’s cafeteria, which ranged from breakfasts of northern Chinese staples to a wide variety of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean dishes for lunch and dinner. Furthermore, on days and nights outside the BDFZ campus, we had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in Beijing's food culture by tasting the city’s infamous Peking Duck, as well as other local Beijing cuisines.

The 5 days flew by in the blink of an eye, and our trip finally came to an end. We exchanged gifts with our buddies, took photos to record precious moments, and promised to keep in touch in the future. Filled with contentment and happiness, we reluctantly said goodbye to our new-found friends and left this beautiful city.

We would like thank our teachers, Mrs. Ma, Mrs. Hau, Mr. Lam, and Mr. Cheung, who have ensured the smoothness of our entire visit and have guided us throughout the whole trip. We would also like to thank the persons in charge at BDFZ for planning and arranging activities for the trip, our tour guide Mr. Guo, as well as the two speakers Professor Zhang and Professor Ao. Most importantly, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Mrs. Lau for her unwavering guidance and support in providing us with this eye-opening experience with the students in our sister schools on the Mainland and the valuable opportunity to learn so much beyond the classroom.