Ask almost any polyglot and they will tell you that one of the best ways to learn a foreign language is to immerse yourself in everything that country has to offer. From its films, to its food, to its music, literature, and architecture.
So we were thrilled when our Teacher of Chinese, Maggie Wong, arranged an enriching trip to Yokohama Chinatown for our Chinese IGCSE pupils.
As part of this trip, our pupils were split into 3 groups and challenged to complete a number of immersive activities throughout the day. These included:
- Visiting Chinatown’s famous gates – and discovering the names and history of their guarding gods.
- Uncovering at least 5 different “spring couplets” (or lucky phrases): which are traditionally displayed during Chinese New Year.
- Purchasing a Chinese New Year gift or souvenir and presenting the significance of their chosen item.
- Pupils also enjoyed a delicious, traditional Chinese meal which they ordered independently, in order to practice their Mandarin.
- This trip was a wonderful opportunity to enhance our pupils’ Chinese learning experience so we thank Ms Wong for organising such a fantastic trip.
