Source: Education Development & Alumni Affairs Office
Written by: Education Development & Alumni Affairs Office
Translated by: Zheng Sida
Edited by: Wang Dongmei
Supported by Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Guangdong Province, SYSU overseas alumni associations, SYSU alumni and prominent community leaders in Chaozhou, and organized by Sun Yat-sen University Alumni Association, the 2013 summer camp for children of SYSU overseas alumni began their “Root-seeking Journey in China”. 15 children of overseas SYSU alumni from the United States, the United Kingdom and France gathered in Guangzhou for their 12-day root-seeking journey.
Group photo at the North Gate Square
On the evening of July 26, campers from different countries boarded a night-tour ship beside the Pearl River and attended the welcome dinner party of the summer camp.
On the morning of July 27, “Root-seeking at SYSU”, the first activity of the summer camp, was held on the South Campus of SYSU. Walking on the campus with a long history of more than 100 years, the campers visited many typical buildings, including Swasey Hall, Big Clock Tower, Blackstone House and North Gate Archway... They specially visited the department buildings where their parents once studied and took photos at the entrances. After the alumni who graduated from SYSU decades ago saw the photos their children took at their alma mater, they were excited and wrote to express their gratitude.
Afterwards, the campers took the calligraphy class and learned to write with brush pen to experience the traditional Chinese culture. The teacher introduced to the campers about the calligraphy culture, the “scholar’s four jewels” and the standard writing posture, and taught them to practice writing the dot, the horizontal stroke, the vertical stroke, the downward left and right strokes, which are the basic skills of calligraphy. They tried writing “Sun Yat-sen University” in Chinese on light-yellow rice paper with great interest.
On the afternoon of July 27, led by the group leader, the campers took Guangzhou Metro and the APM transportation; visited Guangdong Museum to experience the characteristic Lingnan Culture; and watched the night scenes at Huacheng Square to experience the prosperity of a metropolitan city.
In the next few days, the campers will leave for Chaozhou to experience the original local culture
