A good time was had by all at the Routes East China Day on the Anglia Ruskin University Chelmsford campus at the beginning of the month. The day was organised in partnership with the Essex Jiangsu Centre for Chinese Studies (the Essex Jiangsu Centre is a collaborative project between Essex County Council’s Schools, Children and Families Directorate and the Jiangsu Provincial Government’s department of education), AimHigher, Anglo-European School and SSAT Essex Confucius Classrooms. The day got off to a flying start with a Lion Dance performed by the UK South Region Wing Chun Association. The year 9 pupils from local AimHigher schools then enjoyed workshops in calligraphy, paper-folding, language and thinking skills and Wing Chun (Chinese Martial Arts). The pupils were helped by the Routes East PGCE Trainee Student Language Ambassadors. Lunch was specially prepared by the Anglia Ruskin University Catering Department and consisted of Chinese food with a pizza option for those not quite ready to fully embrace all aspects of the culture. One enterprising pupil was seen eating his pizza with chopsticks. The day gave the pupils valuable insights into Chinese language and culture as well as bringing them onto a university campus. The event was pronounced a huge success by all participants, one of whom remarked that it was the best school visit he’d ever been on.
