Co-op Academy students experience a China-themed day at the University of Leeds

A group of Year 7 students from Co-op Academy Leeds visited the University of Leeds to take part in a programme of activities organised by the Business Confucius Institute (BCI).

The students are part of the Inspire Group who are learning Mandarin for an hour a week with a BCI teacher. Their visit to the University included China-themed activities as well as an opportunity to learn more about University life and studying languages.

The day began with a carousel of traditional Chinese games and music. Students learned simple tunes on the guzheng (古筝 - Chinese zither) and kong gu (空鼓 - ‘empty’ drums), had a go at kicking jiànzi (毽子- a kind of shuttlecock), and tried their hand at kōngzhú (空竹 – Chinese yoyo).

Then they went for a tour around campus to see the iconic Parkinson Building, the Students’ Union, the gym and halls of residence, the special Roger Stevens duck pond and the BCI office.

A guest talk from an Education Outreach Fellow from the Arts and Humanities Outreach team gave students further insight into life at University, focussing on what it is like to study languages and what careers language graduates may go on to have. Students were interested to learn that you can go abroad for a year to study in a place where your language is spoken.

After a break for lunch, the programme concluded with a recap of the day and the presentation of certificates.

This was one student’s round up of the day:

I learnt jianzi and how to play it. I enjoyed everything today, especially jianzi, kongzhu and music. We also had a tour. I learnt about the university and language courses.

We hope that everyone enjoyed the day as much as Kashif:

"Enjoyed it so much. 5 stars"

See more photos from the day on our Facebook page.