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Bringing People Together in Xian
O n the very day they finished their examinations in May, 38 hotel and
tourism students joined the PolyU-funded “Students’ Learning
Experience on the Chinese Mainland” tour of Xian. The tour lasted from 19
to 23 May, giving students the opportunity to observe Xian’s culture and
attractions, and to improve their Putonghua. Cherie Lau, a third year Hotel
Management student, reports on her experience.
As a hospitality student, what impressed me the most about Xian was
the way people received us: whoever they were, even when they could
not understand what we were saying, they were very friendly and tried to
make our experience worthwhile. Their living standards may not be as
high as ours but they share the happiness of life with people from all over
the world. Being a tourist and learning how to serve tourists are
interrelated: you only need to appreciate how you are treated to know
how to serve others.
The tour also made me realise how prosperous and great Chinese culture
and history really is – nothing at all like what I learned about in secondary
school. The terracotta warriors guarding the tomb of the first Emperor of
China, Qin Shihuang, were an extraordinary sight, evoking 2000 years of
history in a moment. The warriors are known as the world’s eighth wonder
and the tomb is classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO. We should
be proud of this, and take up the responsibility of safeguarding our own
culture and history.
Looking back on the tour, I can see that our venturing
through time and nature, and seemingly endless nights of
playing cards, strengthened friendships even as our
horizons broadened. Together we experienced the
hospitality of many strangers so different from us. And
that is the greatness of tourism:
it enhances the exchange
of cultures and brings
people together.
Cherie Lau
Field Trips
School of Hotel and Tourism Management
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