Upper School Intensive Learning Spotlight: Chinese Culture
A group of 20 Upper School students enjoyed learning about Chinese culture during Intensive Learning in late March. Most days included a faux tea ceremony at the beginning of the day, and all days featured enrichment and learning, fellowship, and fun.
Their week began with a lesson from outside presenter Raymond Zhu about the art of calligraphy and Chinese fan painting. Mr. Zhu brought a family heirloom to show students: a centuries-old book of handwritten Chinese poems. Students also had the opportunity to attempt some calligraphy on their own.
On Day Two, the group headed into Philadelphia to explore Chinatown to learn more about traditional Chinese music at the Philadelphia Chinese Music Center. Lijun Wu and her husband, Jiasheng Tan, both are former professors of traditional Chinese musical theory and performance. The pair demonstrated a wide variety of instruments to the group and educated the group about the five elements of Chinese music. After this presentation, the group enjoyed lunch at Bai Wei and had time to shop in the markets and stores.
On Day Three, the group began the day by watching The Good Earth, a film based on the 1931 novel, as a preface to their trip to the Pearl S. Buck House. After finishing the tale of one man’s struggle, triumph, and relationship with land in a rural Chinese village in the 20th century, the group ate lunch and embarked to Perkasie, PA to the Buck House. They were greeted by the beautiful 19th century architecture of the stone house and wood barn, both fully functional at one point. Buck was the child of two American missionaries and spent her childhood living in the Jiangsu Province of China. She is most famous for writing the novel The Good Earth, which was able to provide a pioneering glimpse into rural Chinese life for Western countries. They then toured the home where the writer, Nobel Prize winner, and social justice activist lived for 40 years of her life, all the way up to her death in 1973. Reflected one student, “The house itself was immaculately preserved, and it was fascinating to observe the Asian influence on the house’s furnishing, as well as Buck’s works. Everything from Korean chess sets to Chinese ironwork was present.”
Day Four began with a taiji session in the Blue Gym. Students learned about the uses of taiji, which helps blood flow, increases energy, and helps build muscle strength. They practiced taiji and as one student stated, “it requires consistency, balance, and flexibility.” Students then returned to the classroom where licensed acupuncturist Yanqun Zhong taught them about traditional Chinese medicine, including herbs, cupping, and acupuncture.
Day Five saw the group explore the Philadelphia Art Museum and shop at local Chinese market Hung Vuong (Cherry Hill) in preparation for their concluding lunch they were planning to make as a group on Day Six. At the Art Museum, students observed numerous exhibits of Chinese culture including porcelain pottery, replicas of villages, common art, and weapons and armor.
The final half day of this unit was spent preparing their Chinese culinary lunch feast before everyone headed off for Spring Break!
This is one in a series of 2022 Intensive Learning Spotlights. For one week each March, regular classes are suspended for “Intensive Learning,” when Middle and Upper School students and teachers engage in an in-depth study of a specific subject, often involving off-campus research. This long-standing MFS tradition — which dates back to the mid 1970s — allows teachers and students to break out of the structure of formal class periods and traditional study for a time of experiential learning. Both students and teachers are encouraged to view themselves as life-long learners and students of the world around them.