In July, eleven students from Years 11 to 13 embarked on a month-long expedition to China, accompanied by Claire Setrem (school leader) and Peter Allison (World Challenge leader).

We landed in Hong Kong, with only one rucksack lost in Paris! After exploring Hong Kong, we crossed the border into mainland China and travelled north on an overnight train to Guilin. We took an excursion along the Li River, to see the amazing scenery. We then continued north, to Sanjiang, to start our trekking phase. Over the next few days, we trekked between traditional Dong minority villages, using trails alongside rice paddy fields. The temperature was hot - we trekked under the cover of umbrellas to stay in the shade.

Next, we travelled to Chengdu, on a 25-hour train journey, to begin our project phase. We travelled west to Jia Ju, a Tibetan village. We stayed in a wonderfully painted traditional Tibetan house. The first day of our project was at a local primary school, where our students played games with the young children, teaching English songs and rhymes. Our second day involved cleaning a Tibetan shrine high up on the hillside. We collected many sacks of litter which had built up from visitors to the shrine over the years. The local monks and villagers were extremely grateful for our efforts. There was not a scrap of litter left behind.

The second part of our project phase was at Ya'an Panda Reserve. We had the chance to feed pandas by hand and cleaned the panda enclosures. We also spent time with the vets as they were pregnancy testing some of the pandas. Some of the pandas we looked after were rescued from the earthquake in 2008.

On 22nd July, we had the chance to experience the longest eclipse in one hundred years. There was complete darkness for over five minutes. It was amazing!

Our expedition ended with some sightseeing. We started in Xi'an, where we visited the Terracotta Warriors and other parts of the ancient city. We then travelled to Beijing. On our first day, we travelled out to the Great Wall at Mutianyu. We explored the Olympic Park, where we saw the Bird's Nest stadium and the Water Cube. Other sights visited included Tiananmen Square and the Temple of Heaven. The students spent a few hours at Silk Street market, catching up on their shopping.

The whole expedition was led by the students themselves, each taking a turn to be "leader". There were also "accountants" who looked after the group funds, and budgeted for the transport, accommodation and food for each day. The team had to find and book their accommodation, and decide on what to eat each day themselves. The team worked extremely well together, solving problems and making decisions for the whole team.

As Chevonne Murray, one of the participants put it, "Going to China was an unforgettable, life-changing experience".

There is an opportunity for students in Years 10-12 to go on a World Challenge expedition to India in July 2011. See Ms Setrem for further details.