As the CAS trip to Northern Yunnan is getting near, all students, myself included, are eagerly looking forward to this trip. Northern Yunnan is a beautiful province in China where it has some of the best mountain scenery in the world. It has a diverse cultural heritage, with multiple ethnic minority groups residing there. We will be able to learn more about Chinese culture by exploring the cultural heritage on this trip, in particular the renowned Tea and Horse Road. 

From looking at the itinerary, we have many things to look forward to. Personally, I am most excited about exploring the Old Towns on the Tea and Horse Road and learning about the Dongba writing that is used by the Naxi. As a person with a Chinese background, I have never gone to visit the rural areas or villages in China. I believe this CAS experience will allow me to embark on an enriching adventure to tour the villages and hike the wonderful mountains of Northern Yunnan whilst also experiencing China’s historic background and culture. 

Through this CAS trip I hope to be able to gain more knowledge on Chinese culture, and also challenge myself when hiking the Tiger Leaping Gorge. I’m very excited to go on this trip, and I’m sure I will be able to make many fun memories!

-Leanne Leung

Heard that Yunnan has some good scenery, so that’s the main thing I’m looking forward to. Completely different from Hong Kong, with more snow and the topography is just different overall. I’m gonna bring a camera on this trip so I can hopefully get a few good photos along the way. 

Not very excited for the long travel time on the first and last days… Another thing I’m looking forward to is going to this new environment, new climate, new people and new culture. Main concerns right now are if my bag is big enough for the trip, other than that I’m just not very looking forward to getting altitude sickness. 

I’m not too sure on the food thing, food might not be the thing I’m looking most forward to especially since I can’t eat much spice. I’m predicting that waking up at like 6 will be kind of harsh, but I can always adapt + There’s gonna be people banging on my door if I don’t. 

-Cyrus Seto

Packing for the Yunnan CAS trip has made me look forward to all the fun activities that we will be doing, such as the 2-day hike, visiting the local villages, and just learning more about Chinese culture in general. This trip is an entire change of scenery for me, making me step out of my comfort zone, as I will need to learn how to manage myself and demonstrate independence. I am eager to immerse myself in the local culture, and local foods, and spend most of my time offline and away from my phone, for a refreshing and new experience. 

The weather is also something to look forward to, despite not really knowing how to pack for it. Hong Kong in November is still quite hot, however, in Yunnan there will be different temperatures, different weather conditions and climates, making this trip feel completely different to Hong Kong despite still being in China, making me get used to it for 7 days. 

I hope to come back to Hong Kong from Yunnan knowing more about different kinds of Chinese culture and be able to share it with the people around me such as my parents and my peers. 

-Jamie Lee