For most American students China is a place they have only read about in their history books. They know that China is a vast country with the largest population in the world. They know that China has a long history filled with great tales of dynasties, exploration, and vast accomplishments. They also realize that China is an ally and friend of the United States but the dream of visiting China for most students is only just a dream. Busy schedules and a tough economy create hurdles for many American students who dream of traveling to China. Thanks to Hanban and the Chinese Summer Bridge Program for American High School Students this dream became a reality for twenty-eight wonderful students this past July as it has for so many students from Tennessee for the last five years.

Students from across Tennessee competed for a coveted spot in this year's summer program. Each spring students from across Tennessee submit essays, participate in interviews, gather letters of recommendation, and submit their best application with great hopes of being selected as a participant for Hanban's annual Chinese Summer Bridge Program for American High School Students. This year's group of students had the distinct pleasure of visiting one of the most populated provinces in China, Henan. Our students spent an entire week in Zhengzhou enjoying great hospitality, wonderful Chinese language and cultural classes, and meeting new students and friends in Zhengzhou #47 Middle and Zhengzhou #47 High School.

We also had the pleasure of visiting the Henan museum located in Zhengzhou City. The Henan museum has more than 130,000 pieces of cultural relics including over 5,000 pieces of historic bronze wares, jade, and ceramics dating back thousands of years. The students enjoyed learning more about the history of the Henan province and studying the artifacts.

Our time in Zhengzhou was filled with memorable activities including daily visits to the world-famous Shaolin Temple which is the birthplace of Kung fu. The Shaolin Temple was built in the Northern Wei Dynasty and has 1,500 years of history. Students participated daily in martial arts exercises and activities taught by instructors and students from Songshan Shaolin Wushu Vocational Institute as well as students who lived, studied, and worked in the Shaolin Temple.

Our students were enthralled and humbled by the hard work, discipline, and sacrifice of the students at the Shaolin Institute. These students and teachers spend seven days a week for five to six hours a day in the hot sun learning and mastering the intricate details of Kung fu martial arts. They also attend school daily along with their Kung fu program. We marveled at their skill level and were humbled by the sacrifices they had made to be a part of the program. Our students learned martial art movements, the history of martial arts, participated in team-building activities, played games, and spent time together daily with their instructors and Kung fu students.

We were honored to have the opportunity to attend the world-famous live performance of the Zen Shaolin Music Program and Ceremony in beautiful Dengfeng. Words cannot describe the beauty of the program, performers, or scenic mountains. The Songshan mountains in beautiful Dengfeng were truly magnificent. The area was filled with majestic mountains dating back thousands of years. The grass was jade green and the skies were as blue as the oceans filled with rolling, white clouds inviting us to sit and enjoy the show. The musical score was produced by Chen Qigang who also served as the musical director for the opening performance at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Needless to say, the show was truly extraordinary showcasing the time-honored beauty of Kung fu, Wushu, Chinese dancing, and Chinese martial arts.

In addition to our time in Zhengzhou and Dengfeng, our group also visited the historic city of Kaifeng located in the Henan province directly east of Zhengzhou. Kaifeng was the imperial capital during the Song Dynasty. Kaifeng is one of the seven ancient
capitals of China. During the Ming Dynasty, Kaifeng was the capital of the Henan province. Our group had the pleasure of visiting the Iron Pagoda and the Dragon Pavilion while we were in historic Kaifeng. It was truly a historic day.

We returned to spend our last few days in Beijing where we enjoyed visiting the Olympic Park, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall of China. The students embraced every opportunity to walk where great leaders walked before and to stand where great imperial leaders lived before. They walked up each step of the Great Wall of China with great vigor focusing on making it to the top in order to capture the famous quote from Confucius regarding the Great Wall of China and to feel like a hero for the day.

A favorite part of the trip every summer is the day that students spend with host families. Students enjoy getting to spend time with other Chinese students and families for an entire day. They have the opportunity to see what a day in the life of a Chinese family is like. They make meals together, eat together, play games together, shop together, visit the local area together, and work to build a bridge of understanding between two wonderful but different cultures.

"Dengfeng was absolutely amazing," noted Azsha Treanor, one of this summer's student campers. "The mountains were glorious, the air was clean, and seeing platoons of adolescents training in Kung fu was absolutely amazing."

"My summer in China cannot be possibly explained," shared Noah Simmons, a camper with this summer's program. "The Chinese Bridge Summer Camp truly is an once-in-a-lifetime experience. America seems as strange to me now as China first did at the exposition of my trip. My hope is that America would learn from the Chinese. I pray that we would inherit their morals, humbleness, gratefulness, and overwhelming hospitality; furthermore, that we would learn about their culture, history, and language. My wish is that Americans may one day be as open to China, her people, and her culture as the Chinese were to us during our trip."

"Dengfeng was a pleasant little city nestled in the beauty of the Songshan mountains. The Shaolin Zen Music Ritual I saw was an astounding show filled with beautiful music and talented martial arts students," shared summer camper Tori Baldock. "Learning martial arts at the Shaolin Temple was my favorite activity. The chance to learn from students training at the temple was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and one that I will always cherish."
 
"After an extraordinary two-week trip to China, I can honestly say that I have learned an immeasurable amount about Chinese culture, which includes its language, people, and traditions," stated summer camper Alina Clay. "One personal goal was to observe and understand Chinese culture; I believe that I have accomplished this task due to the productive classes we took, as well as the remarkable places and people we saw and met. I especially noticed their genuine love for China; the Chinese girls that I befriended explained their admiration for their country's long, impressive history and ancient traditions. I respect and admire their national pride because love for one's country can motivate one to do great things."

"My trip to China was incredible," exclaimed summer camper Avery Lewis. "I will never forget it. Learning all of the traditions along with how to play a new musical instrument was very fun and fascinating. Being able to go to places that I thought I would never be able to see in person was truly amazing. Seeing a different way of life than mine was eye opening."

"Initially, I felt skeptical about leaving the United States for two weeks," shared summer camper Zach Pelka. "After a myriad of research, I ascertained that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I had to capitalize on it. Following the application process, I experienced unparalleled jubilation with the acceptance letter. Not only was I leaving the country for the first time, but also I was going to the land I have been so captivated by in school for the past four years. Because of its growing economy and exponentially growing population, China has captivated my attention, due to its obvious opportunity

for business in the future. With my family's company using Chinese goods, the relationship with China has been an important one for me, so naturally a bridging program suited me perfectly."

Without a doubt the Chinese Summer Bridge Camp for American High School Students was a life changing, positive experience for all of the students from Tennessee. The program opened their eyes to a larger world. It allowed the students to see the important role they must play in the future between both nations. The program is all about building bridges and understanding and respecting differences and similarities among other people and other nations. As in years past, this summer's program was a resounding success.

We are extremely grateful to our colleagues at Hanban in the Beijing and Henan offices for making this extraordinary opportunity available to twenty-eight wonderful students from across the great state of Tennessee.