We have returned to Kunming! An overnight train delivered us to the city early on the morning of October 2, and despite having been back for less than a week, our schedule has already taken us on quite a few adventures. Since our return, we have......Read More
Shushu and I headed towards my home for the next 12 days in silence. After what seemed like a never ending stretch of walking uphill, we finally arrived. He led me upstairs to my room to unpack and abruptly left the house to complete an errand......Read More
For the last month, we traveled around Yunnan from place to place, rarely stopping for more four days at a time. Even in Hongpo village, where we spent twelve days in a rural homestay, we didn’t have our phones. Without the powers of wechat,......Read More
Wurong raced through the front yard, wielding his glimmering silver pot lid shield ahead of him. Giggling and climbing into his grandfather’s lap, he peeked out from around the edge of the shield at the brown haired girl in front of him, who’d......Read More
When I entered the chaos of a new environment, I was shocked by how calm this new normal was. On my first day in our homestay in Hóngpó (红破), my most substantial contribution to my host family was the four bowls and pairs of chopsticks I set......Read More
Alu (my host dad): Abu really wanted this guy! I was expecting more of an ox, if you know what I mean, but I guess he will do. I can’t wait to put this 外国人 (foreigner) to good use. We’re opening up our house but in return we expect some......Read More
中秋快乐！ On September 24, Bridge Year China celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival, known in Chinese as Zhōngqiūjié (中秋节). The Festival is celebrated in China and Vietnam on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, which......Read More
At the foot of the walnut tree my ShuShu hugged the trunk, his chest glued to the familiar bark, with each limb wrapped around, like a cub clinging to his mother’s back while she wards off predators. In this position he shimmied slowly upward.......Read More
“It feels like we’re going to church,” my instructor Jesse said as we hiked the last stretch to shénpúbù (神瀑布), the holy waterfall. Above us, a jagged cliff shone obsidian black in the wet afternoon light. Ahead, a panorama of blue,......Read More
Hi Everyone! Yesterday was Michal’s birthday, which led to us playing a little trick on him by pretending we hadn’t remembered. In the morning Luke did an amazing job of hanging out with Michal and pretending to be oblivious to his special day.......Read More
Hi everyone, The students are enjoying life with their Tibetan families here in northern Yunnan. We’re right on the border with Tibet and fully embracing Tibetan culture, as well as rural life. Many of the students have been helping out in the......Read More
When hiking through the town of Yubeng, one cannot help but marvel at the vast and powerful nature of the world. The sun peeks out each morning from behind snow-capped peaks and tree-covered mountains encircled by puffy white clouds which have never......Read More
Our hearts go out to the families affected by Typhoon Mangkhut in southeast China and the Philippines. The storm is expected to trickle into Yunnan in the coming days but we won’t expect the showers to change change any of our programming. We have......Read More
After two days in Shangri-La, we took a bus to Deqin and then on to Feilaisi to begin a four-day series of treks around Meili Xueshan (also known as Kawa Karpo), Yunnan’s highest peak. The mountain sits on the Yunnan-Tibet border at 6740m......Read More
Living in China requires a certain amount of patience. One must have the patience to boil any and all water they ingest; to serve all of one’s elders at mealtimes; to remove ones shoes before entering any living space; to let one’s......Read More
