Research Projects

While in China, we eight kids did research projects on various subjects. People chose to learn about subjects such as education, the Opium War, the Cultural Revolution, the One Child Policy, and the cuisine. From our research and from actually living in China, we learned so much. We were assigned to do these research papers because learning about the country and culture you’re living in is extremely important. Being aware of these different aspects helps you understand your surroundings and appreciate them more.

Now, even though research papers aren’t usually kids' favorite things, I think we can all say our experience benefited from this research. For the kids who learned about education, they said their trip was enhanced because they got to compare the schools in China to America. Also, looking at stress in relation to school was another thing people found interesting to observe. When Aydan researched the Cultural Revolution, she was shocked to find how supportive people are of Mao and how relevant he is in everyone’s lives, even after all he did. You can see their loyalty to him everywhere; on money, in paintings, and even in conversations you have with people. Then, for Marc who researched the Opium War, it was interesting for him to see a different side of China’s history and learn how they overcame those hard times. For me, I loved learning about the cuisine because it was so relevant in our everyday lives, and it was delicious! I loved seeing how food and festivals were linked and all the traditions that went along with them.

These projects helped us learn about important aspects to Chinese life and definitely enhanced our trip and added to the many take-aways we got from this experience.

Julianna

Aydan - Cultural Revolution PPT

Audrey - Gao Kao iBook

Duncan - Gao Kao PPT

Emily - Education iBook

Julianna - Chinese Cuisine iBook

Juliette - Mao Zedong IBook

Marc - Opium Wars PPT

William - One Child Policy PPT