Last year Miss Greene and Mr. Brown took 10 grade 11/12 Geography students to Yangshuo – this year there were 17 Grade 11 Geography and Tourism/Leisure students.

On the morning before the flight, the students had introductory classes at SSIS – which included making our own quadrats using the “chopstick method” – a bit of rough science to measure plant species diversity in southern China. We flew to Guilin – “pickpocket’s capital of China” and the main tourist centre of the Guangxi province. It was then a short bus ride to Yangshuo – once a small village on the Lijiang River, and now more of a medium-sized bustling tourist town. Chinaclimb were once again our hosts, with the infamous “pizza party” at the Lizard lounge off Xi Jie or Foreigners Street or the pedestrianised West street! We stayed at the Giggling Tree on the edge of Yangshuo – an ecotourism resort opened 12 months ago by a Dutch couple.

Our first morning in this converted farmhouse was cooler than we expected! The concept of ecotourism emphasizes sustainability and positive impact on local people and environment. The lack of power showers, clean towels and cool rooms, was putting most off this idea, and towards more established 5 star hotels! We cycled down the Dragon River, with the focus of the day being rural development and farming in China. Students interviewed a farmer and were invited to his house for dried fruit. After lunch the focus was more on water quality samples on the river and observing changes in its physical course. We got off the bikes at Pam’s Cooking school – where all students used local produce to cook their own meals.

Day three we hiked 17 kilometers from Yangdi to Xingping. This is one of the most scenic stretches of the Lijiang River. We collected biodiversity data to apply the Chi-squared and Diversity Index tests. Unfortunately the farm we were going to do some CAS activities on did not have any work for us – as it is the dry season and there is little to do! Next year perhaps some footpath restoration instead! Along the trail we observed mass movements and weathering activity. The evening meal was in the village of Xing ping – which is the place from which your 20 Renminbi note is sketched. This settlement has aspirations to be the next “Yangshuo phenomenon”, and tourism is starting to develop more commercially here. Birthday boy Molloy had carried a Pamela for several kilometers before losing it to a cow! The evening “blue book” debrief ended in time for some bar games.

Day four focused on a comparison study of Yangshuo, Fuli and Liu Gong settlements. The 17 students divided up in different sections of Yangshuo and mapped the land-use, noting the various functional zones or clustering of services, as well as located pedestrian counts to delimit the central business district or core zone. Packed lunch was taken in the Lizard Lounge watching indoor climbers and listening to Talking Heads! We then bused into nearby Fuli town, and did a rapid appraisal of the services and potential as a tourist town. We kayaked from here to the smallest settlement of Liu Gong. That evening we shared our data in a Canadian restaurant and then went off Cormorant fishing – an excellent example of zooification of culture – a good Geographer’s word in scrabble!

The last day students went to Yangshuo Middle school number 2. We split up into 8 groups and team-taught 50 grade 8 students. Each lesson had a geographical theme and was taught in English or Chinese. It was a humbling experience to see the large class sizes and the general lack of any resources, yet happy students and enthusiastic teachers making the most of their community. In the afternoon we climbed Moon Hill, one of the most famous climbing spots in China. The students sketched the tower karst landscape and examined physical processes creating such dramatic tropical scenery. The grand finale of the trip was caving with “super-awesome Tyson”, observing the largest asparagus formation or was it a stalagmite?! Sammy Tang chose to wear his contact lenses for the mud bath. Possibly the next worst decision was “You Na Tuna” opting for an all-yellow outfit for the biking day. Corey Greene sabotaging my “blue fieldwork guide book” on the boat, led to further hair loss on my part!

Another thoroughly tiring and enjoyable field trip. Next November 2008 may well include other subject areas, and possibly an outdoor camp group.

Simon Brown, Head of Humanities 16-11-07