Discovering China beyond the classroom

For 17-year-old Andrew Carlisle, a student at Lancaster Country Day School (LCDS) in Pennsylvania, his first trip to China was nothing like he expected. "I thought it would be all bustling cities with skyscrapers," he said. "But I was really struck by how green everything is. There were so many plants I'd never seen in America."

Andrew was referring to the hike through Tiger Leaping Gorge in Southwest China's Yunnan province, a region famous for its breathtaking landscapes and cultural diversity.

He was one of 22 LCDS students, aged between 14 and 18, who spent three weeks exploring China last month. Their journey took them from Beijing to Xi'an in Shaanxi province and Chengdu in Sichuan, before ending with a two-week stay in Yunnan.