Yunnan Study Tour | Planting the Classroom in Nature & Living Culture (11 Days)

Designed for overseas Chinese schools and student delegations, this program integrates UNESCO natural heritage classrooms, ethnic minority culture & intangible heritage, and a structured sister school exchange. Students not only experience Yunnan visually, but develop the ability to explain what they observe—in Mandarin—through task-based learning.

Cities: Lijiang / Kunming / Jianshui / Yuanyang Duration: 11 Days (Flexible) Core: 2-Day Sister School Exchange (Kunming) Theme: Ecology · Ethnic Culture · Language Tasks

Program Highlights

Extraordinary Geographic Diversity: From Snow Mountains to Rice Terraces Dual UNESCO experience: Lijiang Old Town (World Cultural Heritage) and the Stone Forest (World Natural Heritage). Students travel across dramatic landscapes — from the ancient town beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, to the karst caves of Jianshui (Swallow Cave), and finally to the UNESCO-listed Hani Rice Terraces of Yuanyang. Snow peaks, river gorges, limestone caves, and terraced ecosystems form a living geography classroom.

Immersive Multi-Ethnic Cultural Experience Living cultural traditions: Through the Dongba Culture Museum, Baisha Murals, and Yufeng Temple, students encounter the still-practiced Dongba pictographic writing system, religious art, and Naxi spiritual traditions — not as textbook symbols, but as active elements of contemporary community life.

Integration of Education & Community Engagement Service-learning opportunity: Visiting and interacting with a local ethnic minority school allows students to move from “observers” to “participants.” Through guided engagement, they explore educational equity, social responsibility, and intercultural empathy in a meaningful way.

Hands-On Intangible Cultural Heritage Workshop Jianshui purple pottery — a nationally recognized intangible cultural heritage — provides a hands-on ceramic experience. Students move from observation to creation, gaining insight into craftsmanship, cultural continuity, and the value of traditional skills.

Program Snapshot

PositioningNatural heritage learning + ethnic culture + school exchange

Learning FormatTask sheets · group projects · interview logs · reflection journals · presentations

Cultural ThreadTea Horse Road heritage → Modern city education → Terrace ecosystem wisdom

DeliverablesPosters · short speeches · vocabulary notebook · ecological observation record

Highlights

Living Pictographic Writing Dongba culture museum: explore one of the world’s rare pictographic writing systems.

UNESCO Natural Classrooms Tiger Leaping Gorge, Stone Forest, Yuanyang Rice Terraces support interdisciplinary STEAM tasks.

Intangible Heritage Workshops Dongba writing experience and Jianshui purple pottery workshops create presentable student outputs.

Service Learning Option Community engagement activities foster empathy and social responsibility.

Sister School Exchange (Kunming)

Two structured days of campus exchange: ice-breaking → joint learning → collaborative presentation. This ensures measurable language growth and authentic communication.

FormatsClass observation · joint activities · group discussion · campus tour

ThemesStudent life, environmental initiatives, urban culture, food traditions

Language TasksSelf-introduction · interviewing · summarizing · reflection

OutputsExchange reports · posters · closing showcase

Learning Outcomes

Language Practice: Authentic Mandarin use in schools, markets, and heritage sites.
Ecological Literacy: Understand terrace ecosystems and sustainability in real contexts.
Cultural Understanding: Build structured narratives through ethnic heritage experiences.
Intercultural Friendship: Develop long-term peer relationships through collaboration.

Sample 11-Day Itinerary