Student Quotes

"Our Bridge trip gave us the opportunity to visit some of the country’s most prestigious high schools."

"When we arrived in Yunnan we were greeted by hundreds of Chinese students dressed decoratively in the traditional Chinese outfits playing large drums and flutes. The prestigious welcome is similar to what I imagine the Olympic athletes will receive at the Olympic welcoming."

"Throughout our Chinese classes we learned numbers, how to tell time, how to say hello, and more importantly, how to pronounce it all. I’m sure many of the Chinese students at the Secondary School we were attending were probably laughing at us on the inside, but none of them showed any signs of discouragement. They were all willing to help us perfect the little Chinese we knew."

"The time after our lunch break was event filled. We would all gather in a packed classroom and were divided into two groups by class. The more fluent Chinese speakers would go in one group and the beginners in the other. We then took eight quite interesting classes: Tai-Chi, Kung Fu, Mulan Sword, Ping Pong, Calligraphy, Go, Chinese Dance, Chinese Folk Song. The educators were all diligent at teaching us..."

"The food Hanban provided us was some of the best Chinese food I’ve ever had. The variety and authenticity of the Chinese cuisine gave us a great sample of some of the best China has to offer."

"All in all, our trip to China was as much educational as it was fun. The Chinese sponsors of the event were all top quality individuals who made sure all our needs were taken care of. We had the chance to meet and get to know some of our peer high school students and their families in China, getting a better understanding that even though there are differences in our cultures, in many ways, we are very alike. The host students and families treated us with much respect and kindness – they welcomed us into their homes, taught us how to make dumplings, took us to the local sights and fed us very well. It was a grand adventure, one that made me want to go back to China again and led me to sign up for a Mandarin Chinese class. This summer experience has undoubtedly helped Bridge the gap between us and our two nations."

Teacher Quotes

"The summer camp provided an opportunity for students to see through their own eyes the true people and culture of China."  

" I have seen firsthand the benefits your program have brought to our students and community.  I sincerely look forward to our continuing cooperative relationship with you, and with UCLA CI.  You are providing a service of great importance to the success of our program and, I know, to the success of many other programs like ours throughout the region and the nation."