“Ni hao” (greetings) were the words most used by a team of ten students fortunate enough to spend time in China just prior to Christmas. Liam Stoneley (Kāti Huirapa), from the University of Canterbury, was one of two students sponsored by Ngāi Tahu and the Auckland Confucius Institute, to spend two weeks in Shanghai to study Mandarin and Chinese culture. Talia Ellison was also part of the group attending.
Liam and his whānau are members of Waihao Marae and he has just completed his fourth year living and studying in Christchurch. Liam plans to graduate this year with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Te Reo Māori and History. If all goes well he will also complete his LLB at the end of 2015.
The opportunity to live and study in China was of great interest to Liam, who had a year of Mandarin lessons when he was 15. His college music teacher was from China and kindly tutored him after school. Liam remarked that being fluent in Māori made it easier to understand and pronounce this new language.
The trip involved 10 days with four hours of Mandarin language learning and evening outings to view Chinese culture. They were also taken by train to Beijing for a weekend to see the capital and other aspects of life in China. Many of the students were so impressed with the trip that they are considering enrolling at Fudan University in Shanghai for further study this year.
It is currently the middle of winter in China, so all the students were well wrapped up for the single-digit temperature days at the university and while sightseeing. One of the most memorable visits was to the Great Wall of China, just outside of Beijing. It took the group just over an hour to climb to the highest point of the particular part of the wall and they were rewarded with beautiful scenery.
As well as time at Fudan University, the group took trips to the city centre for shopping and checking out the city high-rise – much of it taller than our Sky Tower. A night river cruise and dinner on Nanjing Road were group favourites.
Liam is very grateful to the iwi and whānau who supported him in getting to China. Without Ngāi Tahu, he would not have been able to attend such an eye-opening experience.
Liam sightseeing.
Talia and Liam stand tall on the Great Wall of China.
The group of students with one of their tutors in Beijing.