Inner Mongolia FIeld Trip Magazine

Overseas Field Trip Magazine

CCSC GEOGRAPHIC

INNER MONGOLIA Jump to Mongol Steppe Co-organized by Liberal Studies & Geography Panels 7 - 15 JULY 2012

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PREFACE This was a rare opportunity to organize such a largescale field trip outside Hong Kong. Thanks to all teachers, Mr. H.B.Ng, Mr. Chai, Mr. T.C.Lee, Mrs. J. Lo, Miss Yip and Mr. P. Lui for their unceasing efforts in escorting the large number of students and sharing their valuable experience in group discussions with students.

Thanks to all students for their contributions so as to make this magazine complete.

Jumping for joy in Gegentala Grassland

OUR ITINERARY 7 July Hong Kong to Beijing by direct sleeper train

13 July Arrived at Hohhot and visited the museum

8 July Arrived at Beijing and transferred to Datong by coach

14 July Back to Beijing and exchange with university students

9 July Visited suspended temple and rock caverns in Datong

15 July Take 23-hour sleeper train back to Hong Kong

10 July Transferred to Hohhot by coach and stayed in Gengentala Grassland for star-gazing and watching sunrise 11 July Daytime activities in Gengentala Grassland, e.g. horseriding, visiting nomads 12 July Transferred to Baotou, visited the margin of a desert and Mengniu Dairy Factory visit 2

This section is prepared by Ma Ching Ki 5C, Sze Pui Shing 4B, Choi Chun Ming 4B, Chong Hoi Yeung 5E, Chung Tsz Hong (alumni), Leung Lap Chi 7B, Leung Lok Hang 7B, Yeung Nga Ting 7B and Chan Nga Ching 7B.

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FROM GENGETALA GRASSLAND TO RESONANCE BAY

FROM GRASSLAND TO DESERT Semi-desert region and grassland (savanna) are areas highly vulnerable to desertification because vegetation only takes up a small proportion of their ecosystem. To cap it off, the population size has shown a considerable growth since 1949 (5.6million in 1949 to 32milllion in 2009) and human activities help exploit further the natural resources. In our instance, the GEGENTALA grassland in the territory of SIZIWANG BANNER (130km from Hohhot, Inner Mongolia) has been developed as a tourist resort with around a hundred of tents providing accommodation. When more horses are reared to provide horse-riding entertainment, the pressure on the demand of grass will lift hence reducing the vege4

tation restoring capability of the nature. This reason plus higher water consumption had led to desertification in North/North-east China in the past few decades.

1. CAUSES Desertification is caused by both natural and cultural factors. It is further intensified by population growth which facilitates different kinds of human activities.

1.1 NATURAL CAUSES 1.1.1 Lack of precipitation The amount of precipitation is highly associated with desertification.

In Inner Mongolia, the mean annual rainfall amounts to 400mm while its rainy season comes in summer and lasts for three months only, i.e. from June to August. Low rainfall contributes to dry climate, thus, drought occurs commonly. Water is essential for the luxuriant growth of vegetation. With the deficiency in moisture, land would easily become barren and more susceptible to desertification.

1.1.2 Large diurnal range of temperature The continental climate of Inner Mongolia is typical, with large daily range of temperature of 20oC. In daytime, the temperature can exceed 30oC; while in nighttime, it can drop to approximately 10oC. This can be experienced on Gegentala Grassland, Hohhot. Such temperature variation is unfavourable for vegetation growth.

1.1.3 Limited vegetation Desertification is serious in Inner Mongolia, since it is largely covered by temperate grasslands. On the barren and dry grasslands, there is little protection from litter against soil and wind erosion,

which loosens the soil particles. There are few or even no tree roots to bind the soil. This is most pronounced in the arid regions of the northwestern China and the semi-arid areas in Inner Mongolia. What is more, climatic changes are accelerating the desertification process.

1.1.4 Monsoon wind system The dry winter monsoon is dominant in the northwestern China. With northwesterly prevailing wind, the wind drying effect is significant, resulting in droughts. Besides, the sand from deserts in the northwestern region can spread to the south rapidly by stormy wind. For example, China is undergoing desertification in recent years.

Kubuqi desert in Ordos, which is on the periphery of Gobi Desert, is very likely to expand in the coming years.

1.2 HUMAN CAUSES 1.2.1 Devegetation & Deforestation Besides, human activities like cutting of trees also facilitate desertification. Sandstorm, which is a meteorological phenomenon arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Forest can hold large amount of sand and dust and slow down the rate of desertification. But due to the urban development and huge demand for paper, large scale cutting of trees is inevitable, so the situation of desertification is deteriorating.

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1.2.2. Recreational activities: Tourism

2. Solutions and their effectiveness

On the day to Xiangsha Bay, the margin of a desert with very little vegetation cover, lots of recreational facilities for tourists and visitors are found. Apart from sliding on sand and motorbike, camels were found to be one of the transportation means at Xiangsha Bay. In the long run, it leads to trampling and thus soil erosion. Yet, limited policies are introduced to protect the land as tourism industry boosts economic growth in North China.

2.1 To avoid the desert from spreading outward, government could adopt afforestation as a means of prevention. Afforestation usually begins at the fringe of desert, and then extends inwards. Afforested area will later become a shelter belt (windbreak) that stops sandy soil from being blown from the centre of desert to its outer area.

1.2.3 Trampling On the fifth day of our trip, we all rode on horses to visit the indigenous people. We could clearly observe that the grassland is seriously tramped by the horses. This leads to the sparse distribution of grass. If it exceeds the carrying capacity of land, grasslands will invariably transform into barren land and accelerates deforestation.

Afforestation is the most significant way to stop the desert from spreading. The trees indeed form a green belt and block the sand from passing through. As you are probably aware, areas with trees and vegetation are less likely to be covered by sand. The tree roots can hold the soil tightly and retain the moisture so as to prevent them from converting into sand. However, it is rather difficult to plant trees in sandy area. Although straw checkerboards can be used to help growing grass, it takes a long time to convert the sand into soil that is favourable for trees planting.


2.2 To avoid overpopulation happens in grassland, the central government could restrict the immigration of people from other provinces and of other races (mainly Han). It allows higher sustainability of the ecosystem there under a smaller population size when Mongolian nomadic herders are the only group of people who are allowed 6

2.3 To avoid overgrazing, the government could restrict the horse/ sheep population by setting up a herder-animal ratio of 1:5 e.g. so that the excess animals will be slaughtered.

The method of the herder-animal ratio is ideal in theory but it is hard to implement in practice. As the herders are mobile, it can hardly control the number of herders in the area. Plus, it has difficulties in prosecuting the illegal herders. Thus, the effectiveness of this policy is lower compared with the above measures.

to use the natural resources (water, grass) and so live a selfcontained life.

Restricting the population indeed can reduce the pace of exploitation of the natural resources in the endangered area, but there are still economic conflicts. The growths of cities are skyrocketing in recent years. Restricting the number of immigrants means slowing down the economic development of these areas. People living there may in turn be easily in poverty.

Moreover, growth of tourism in the grassland and desert boundary also cause conflicts. The more the tourists, the more the exploitation of natural resources. The increasing number of tourists and restricting the number of residents is contradictory and both have low effectiveness in reducing the exploitation of natural resources there.

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The following section is prepared by Wong Yi Lok 4D, Fung Man Yee 4C, Melina 5E, Pang Yi Man 4E, Yip Kwok Loen 5E, Tung Ho Kwan 6C, Law Hiu Yan 5E and Lo Cheuk Nga 5E.

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Tranquil environment near the lakeside

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN INNER MONGOLIA 1. Can Inner Mongolia become a major tourism region in China?

Inner Mongolia locates at the northern part of China and started tourist development in these few years. As one of the destinations of our study tour, we try to investigate whether Inner Mongolia can become a major tourism region in China.

Weather condition determines the desirability of visitors. Inner Mongolia has a temperate continental climate. The winters in Inner Mongolia are very long, cold, and dry with frequent blizzards. Summers are short, extremely hot and arid, and have large, dangerous sandstorms. Therefore tourist season of Inner Mongolia is confined to

summer season which is exceptionally short. This may adversely affect the business in the slack seasons.

Although the climate is not good in every month and it may not be a major tourist region, there are still some attractions for tourists.

First, transportation and infrastructure availability is beneficial to tourist industry. There are twelve airports in Inner Mongolia with eighteen local courses and two international courses. There are 19 Stateowned railway lines, twelve branch line and five local railway lines in Inner Mongolia accessing other places, like Beijing, Xian and Lanz-

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hou. So, the transportation network is rather complete and easy to access.

What are the positive and negative impacts of developing tourism in Inner Mongolia?

Second, there are abundant physical and human tourist resources in Inner Mongolia. The physical resources include hills, plains, deserts, rivers and lakes. And Inner Mongolia is mostly over 1000 meters above the sea level, including the Inner Mongolia Plateau, the second highest among the four major plateaus in the country. Grassland reaches out as far as your eyes can see. Tourists can enjoy the blue sky, clouds and the natural environments there.

Economic perspective There are both positive and negative impacts of developing tourism in Inner Mongolia.

One of the positive impacts of developing tourism in Inner Mongolia is that it provides lots of job opportunities to the people either through direct employment or indirect employment.

One of the most famous tourist attractions is Xiang Sha Wan (Resonant Sand Bay) where you can hear sounds in the sand, light as croaks or loud as a plane.

For heritage like cultural activities in Inner Mongolia, the most direct way is to taste the traditional food, the milk tea and stay in the yurts.

Besides, tourists can take part in local activities, like horse riding.

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Using accommodation service of the hotel as an example of direct employment, Datong Hotel provides customers with different kinds of services, ranging from in-room service to outdoor recreation.

Thus, it provides ample job opportunities, such as hotel staff, housekeepers, concierge, etc.

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On the contrary, indirect employment serves both local people and tourists. Both need to buy daily necessities at local supermarkets and have meals in some local restaurants. In this way, it indirectly provides employment opportunities for the people in Inner Mongolia.

Tourism can boost economic growth as it is a major source of foreign exchange earning. It contributes greatly to the diversification of the economy. The snowballing effect of economic growth may eventually benefit the local people.

As people in Inner Mongolia get job opportunities, their income level will rise. Thus they can have more chances to buy or enjoy different kinds of goods and services. Their living standard will be uplifted.

Even so, negative impact on her economic development can be observed.

Land rent near the local attractions is usually higher. Since more and more tourists visit the attractions, the land rent will be boosted, thus giving a heavier burden to the land owners.

Environmental perspective For the positive impacts, there will be conservation and preservation of environment in Inner Mongolia. Nowadays, people are more aware of environmental protection. They will go travelling for the purpose of eco-tourism. As Inner Mongolia is a famous destination with grassland which is close to Gobi Desert, the government is more willing to preserve the natural environment. For example, tree belts are planted to block the wind from south to east, so the problem of desertification can be tackled.

Also, some eco-concern industrial establishments, like Baogang, pay more attention to pollution issues. They put much effort on greening, like planting trees in the industrial region. They are also willing to act in accordance to the government emission standard.

Unfortunately, human behaviour greatly affects the environment. Some visitors are not well behaved. From our field trip experience, land pollution was quite serious along the Great Wall. For instance, littering and spitting were common, leaving the place very dirty and unhygienic.

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Socio-cultural perspective Considering the positive socio-cultural impacts, first, developing tourism stimulates attention to culture and art forms which are influenced by insights from other parts of the world. Cultural development is possible with financial stimulus of tourism. For example, originally Mongolians did not know that their traditional activities such as wrestling, horse-riding are attractive to others. After developing tourism, they find their traditional activities unique which stimulate the locals to pay more attention to their culture.

Second, developing tourism may transform local values. With the demonstration effect, young people tend to imitate tourists’ behaviour. They are attracted by the tourists’ ideas or thinking.

Third, developing tourism can facilitate mutual understanding of different countries. Interactions with local people or adaptation to local lifestyle can make tourists know more about the country, for example, their language, history, religion and local culture.

On the other hand, tourism may induce health risks through infectious diseases such as AIDS, H1N1 or cholera. Increasing mobility of tourists or employees in the tourist industry may give rise to widespread epidemic. The soaring number of tourists may also add extra burden to the facilities such as waste disposal and sewage treatment, which may increase health risks.

Second, it creates the problem of commercialization. Tourism often leads to the commercialization of art forms and especially handicrafts. Tourists seek artifacts with cultural or religious meaning as souvenirs but they may lose their cultural meaning through mass production.

For example, in this trip, the Inner Mongolian traditional altar is commercialized as local people tend to earn money by letting tourists pray for the good luck on the alter.

Third, it causes the transformation of values. Local people tend to imitate tourists’ behavior and thinking. It can also bring bad impacts, for example, prostitution, gambling and crime which flourish in these less developed regions.

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Fourth, tourism adds strain on various urban facilities and resources.

Congestion is common in peak season, creating chaotic situation in cities and tourist attractions.

Fifth, tourism may affect local architecture. The modern high-rise architecture creates great visual impact on the traditional low-rise villages.

All in all, protecting the destination is not only the responsibility of one single stakeholder. We cannot protect the scenic spots without the support of others. All of us should work together and co-operate to minimize the negative effect brought to the host.

3. As a tourist, what should we do to minimize the negative impacts brought to host?

First, we should obey the laws set by the government. We should not damage and destroy anything. We should turn off the flash light of camera in some particular scenic spots in order not to spoil the antique and wall painting. We should also help spread out this message.

Second, we should keep to the principle of “taking nothing but photo, leave nothing but footprint�. We should protect the environment and keep it clean. We should not leave any rubbish and graffiti to the scenic spot.

There are also several ways for the government to minimize the negative impacts brought to host.

First, the government should educate the public. In order to arouse the awareness of general public, the government may introduce civic education through advertisement or propaganda etc. Also, the government should start educating citizens when they are young.

Second, the government can set up laws to protect the host. If visitors violate any laws, they will be punished.

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BAOSTEEL

BY MICHAEL LEUNG LAP CHI & FREDERICK YAU CHAK LAM Baogang is a significant iron and steel plant in China established in 1954 and is located in Baotou, Inner Mongolia. Regarding the area, it is approximately 32.0 sq. km and Baogang has the biggest industrial base in Inner Mongolia.

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Components of Baogang Frankly speaking, Baogang not only consists of an iron and steel plant. In order to provide welfares for workers, there are different kinds of facilities for them to enjoy. To begin with, a school was built for workers’ children to study so that they can be taken care of and workers can perform their jobs with a higher efficiency. Also, a 3-star Baotou Hotel was built for workers living far away from their home and this can attract more skilled labour to work there. Moreover, a hospital with eminent doctors was also established. If workers become ill, they can ensure that they can get advanced medical treat-

Baosteel is a self-contained community

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ment and this helps enhance the efficiency of Baogang. What is more, green areas are beside factories and roads. Workers or professionals can have better working conditions and this finally raises their efficiencies. Further and even more importantly, though, railways are built to transfer pig irons from a blast furnace to a refining furnace. Therefore, things are usually more complicated than what we have in our mind. An iron and steel industrial base not only contains an iron and steel plant, but also consists of diverse facilities to make success in iron and steel industry.

Favourable locational factors Regarding locational factors of Baogang, there are basically three important factors.

First of all, Baogang has proximity to raw materials like coal and iron ore. Without sufficient supply of raw materials, we can easily imagine that an iron and steel plant cannot work. For iron and steel industry, a weight-gaining industry, the plant can minimize the transport cost of raw materials such as coal and iron ore if it is located near the mines. Hence, Baogang is a typical example of a raw material oriented iron and steel industry. There is a mine called Baiyunebo Mine and the distance between it and Baogang is not long. Since the reserves of iron and rare earth metals (metals used to increase the ductility of irons and steels) are the greatest in Northwest China and in the world respectively, Baogang has ample raw materials and this has led to a gigantic productivity of high-class irons and steels.

Apart from raw materials, abundant supply of land is also an important factor that determines the location of Baogang. Without doubt, an iron and steel plant complex is land demanding. The 4th furnace of Baogang we visited is already as large as a 1516

floor building, not to mention other machines that have more complex procedures than the furnace which burns and mixes up iron ore and other minerals. Baotou, a place with sufficient supply of flat land and drained by a small river, is an excellent location for a space demanding iron and steel plant which needs water for cooling.

Moreover, Energy is also a determining factor in the location of Baogang. an iron and steel plant needs unceasing heating so as to melt iron and other minerals. Hence, energy is essential. Without major power plants nearby, Baogang seeks coal as their major power source for heating. In order to lower the cost of transporting heavy and bulky coal and to minimize the impact on the environment when transporting coal, it is a wise decision for Baogang to locate near a coal mine which is the Baiyunebo Mine.

Though other locational factors such as labour and transport have some influence on the location of Baogang, they are not as influential as raw material, energy and land. Given that professional technicians are essential for the plant to operate smoothly, it’s unlikely the plant would move so as to obtain skilled labour and it would be more cost-effective to attract them with higher wages and better welfare.

Moreover, transport factor is of declining influence with the advancement in transport means and technology which lowers the cost of transporting heavy and bulky steel finished products.

Baogang and Baotou illustrating the Myrdal’s Model of Cumulative Causation Process Myrdal’s Model of Cumulative Process is known as the snowballing effect explaining industrial agglomeration. The model suggests that once a new industrial plant is set up, it creates employment opportunities. Hence it attracts people to reside and the population and income level of people rises. With a higher threshold population, more industries and services would move in to cater the increasing population and these new industry would attract other related industries.

Hence more job opportunities are created and more population and higher income level as a result. The process is cumulative and selfsustaining.

Baotou as one of the more prosperous city in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region is sustained by Baogang. As mentioned by the tour guide, Baotou has been developing fast and it’s GDP had surpassed Hong Kong. As we can see, Baotou has modern style shopping malls and shops selling reputable international brands. Picturesque parks and newly-built residential buildings can also be seen in Baotou. Comparing with neighboring cities of Baotou, their development is definitely not as good as Baotou and hence it illustrates the role Baogang played in the economic development of Baotou.

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How can Baogang achieve sustainable development?

It is a widely acknowledged fact that an iron and steel plant can never achieve sustainable development because they have already caused acute pollution on our environment and may have exploited salaries of workers. Even though this may not be denied, Baogang has actually done compensatory measures to help achieve sustainable development in three aspects: economy, environment and society.

for a rather large number of years. Workers use recycled water, which was used for plant cooling for irrigation. Therefore, we can see a great green area in Baogang and this can properly show its emphasis on environmental protection.

Talking about the economic perspective, we all know Baogang has a great profit per annum and it has raised the GDP of our country. It also pays an enormous amount of entrepreneur taxes to our country.

There is no doubt that Baogang has a decisive role to the local economy.

Regarding our society, Baogang has also made contribution to create a better society. To start with, its steels have been used to construct infrastructures such as Pudong International Airport, Water Cube and Qinghai-Tibet Railway. These have improved living qualities of local citizens. For the sake of their workers, Baogang has also held the first athletics meet so that they can have ample chances to involve in sports. Baogang has also appointed some workers to participate in volunteer works so that the poor can be taken care of.

By way of conclusion, we can see that Baogang has paid efforts to achieve sustainable development. It is predicted as well as hoped that efforts will be paid in the following years for the better future.

It is interesting to note that Baogang has also worked on the environmental aspect. Tree Planting Day has been held 18

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TREND OF GLOBALIZATION

Introduction Despite the booming global economy, we should not overlook the impacts brought about. When we are enjoying the fruits of higher living standard at present, it is crucial for us not to deprive our future generations of having the same level of consumption of natural resources as we have now. Therefore, we would like to focus on the sustainability, otherwise known as “sustainable development” of different aspects in modern China via the visit to Inner Mongolia. According to the official definition introduced by the United Nations, “sustainable development is one that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” What we are going to do is assess the sustainability of different reform measures observed during our journey, from social, economic, environmental and cultural perspectives respectively.

SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE Social sustainability can be achieved to a large extent, according to our observation in Inner Mongolia: Maintaining social harmony and social equity:

This section is prepared by Pang Chun Hei 4D, Chan Wing Chee 5B, Luk Wing Lam 4D, Ma Ki 4B, Yu Chak Yuk 5B, Lo Chun Kei 5B, Lok Ming Yui 6A, Leung Sze Man 6C, Chan Yuen Ying 7B and Yuen Ka Yuen 7B. 20

Mengniu Dairy Company Ltd., as one of the largest dairy enterprises in China, provides a lot of job opportunities in different departments like quality control, manufacturing, development of bio-technology and so on, enabling elites from all professions to develop their career. Similarly, Baogang, being one of the top 100 enterprises, owned a large part of Baotou city where local people can usually find their respective jobs or set up businesses there, by which they can enjoy a stable income. By improving the living standard of the grassroots, the income gap can be gradually narrowed and the antagonism between the rich and the poor can hence be alleviated.

Eventually, social harmony is maintained. As a result, less distraction will be drawn and more capacities of societies will be diverted to future planning, which in turn favours social sustainability of China.

Both Mengniu and Baogang produce a large variety of products, owning plenty of production lines. The former produces dairy products like cheese and ice-cream while the latter manufactures bicycles and makes use of rare elements for synthesizing a wide range of products. Above are the illustrations of fully utilizing the resources.

By minimizing the wastage and maximizing the efficiency of every natural property, an overall principle of pursuing social sustainability is fundamentally introduced.

Diversity of production line:

Supporting youth development: Mengniu runs a campaign to promote the dream that someday everyone in China can drink a glass of milk every day so as to boost public health, it also sets up a fund to support youth development.

Furthermore, Baogang usually arrange factory visits, mainly for students, so as to advocate science popularization. Therefore, effective 21

allocation of resources to different social parameters by leading enterprises can be seen.

Setbacks in social sustainability: Although Mengniu adopts tight quality control of their production to minimize error and possible contamination of its products, the outbreak of Melamine incident a few years ago greatly shook our confidence towards their food safety. It suggested wide doubts towards their enterprise conscience since the incident threatened public health in China to a huge extent.

ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE

China. The large variety of their products (e.g. rail transport, communication devices) from household to military products allow the enterprise to keep its revenue growing in multiple directions and keep its markets expanding in a global context.

Residential communities are set up around the big enterprises: Baogang group is totally different from other enterprises as it develops the entire community around their industrial facilities. In this Baogang district, besides the factories, it consists of residential areas and recreational areas. Therefore, unlike other typical enterprises, Baogang does not only drive the economic improvement nearby, but it actually also founds the economy nearby. Residents in the community can play a role in sustaining the future of their local economy.

Human activities cannot be detached from economics. There are always conflicts in getting a balance among economics and other pillars in sustainable development. We will look into how Hohhot and Baotou, major financial cities in Inner Mongolia, have their economy supported by enterprises sustainably.

Efficiency of resource allocation: Inner Mongolia has abundant resources especially coal, cashmere, natural gas and rare earth elements than any other province-level region in China. Inner Mongolia is also an important coal production base, with more than a quarter of the world's coal reserves located in the province.

To use these resources efficiently for getting the greatest benefits, many enterprises are set up to compete for the use of resources.

Among them, Baogang is the largest steel enterprise in Inner Mongolia with a large production base of iron and steel and the largest scientific research and production base of rare earth elements in

Also, in the industrial area of Hohhot, some leisure facilities (e.g. golf courses) are also set up to provide a better working environ22

ment and improve the working incentive, hence productivity of workers and thus boosting the profits and revenues of the enterprise.

Development in the culture enterprises: There are also various types of businesses developed to maintain a sustainable economy such as wool industry, agricultural and livestock products processing industries. Sustainability of economy is thus enhanced by the large variety of financial activities involved.

over-cultivation account for the desertification there. It is known that Mongolians earn their living by grazing and farming for long. The long-term continuous removal of grass by the livestock and the improper ways of farming used, such as mono-cultivation resulting in loosened and unprotected soil leading to the gradual formation and expansion of the desert.

ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE Environment is one of the essential components in sustainability assessment. Yet, it is probably most difficult to get a balance between environment conservation and human activities, with the latter often creating inevitable damages to the former. Our natural environment is innate and non-renewable. We have to try our best not to pollute the nature and destroy habitats because the recovery is never easy or sometimes impossible.

I. DESERTIFICATION Desertification is a serious and irreversible state of land degradation, particularly evident in dry lands. Land degradation is a global phenomenon that can be equated to a persistent reduction in biological and economic potential of the land to support human livelihood.

Scenario: Desertification is found in Inner Mongolia. The east section of Kubuqi Desert, China’s seventh largest desert is Xiang Sha Wan, the natural scenic spot we visited during the trip. Over-grazing and

Consequences: Desert is not a favourable habitat for living things, just with a few exceptions like cactus and camel, hence threatening biodiversity.

Moreover, the soil in desert becomes less usable, or even completely useless. For instance, it is not suited for food growth and large-scale constructions. These may lead to starvation and economic loss. Thirdly, desertification can cause dust storm, poor water 23

quality, flooding and pollution. These greatly affect the living condition of people nearby.

Thermal pollution refers to the degradation of water quality by any process that changes ambient water temperature.

Even though the effects brought is deteriorating the sustainability, we can see that some short-term solution such as windbreaks, have been installed to alleviate the problem. Actually, wind is a crucial factor contributing to desertification. It can easily spread the sand to nearby regions, especially those with lower extent of human activities, and thus enlarging the deserted area. Therefore, by preventing some of the sand from spreading, windbreaks can definitely help lower down the pace of desert expansion.

Scenario:

II. THERMAL POLLUTION

A common cause of thermal pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power plants and industrial manufacturers, like Baogang, which is the biggest iron and steel industrial enterprise in Inner Mongolia.

Consequences: Elevated temperature typically decreases the level of dissolved oxygen in water. This can kill aquatic animals such as fish. Thermal pollution may also increase the metabolic rate of aquatic animals, , causing these organisms to consume more food in a short time. This may result in scarcity of resources. Besides, the more adapted organisms moving in may have a higher advantage over those not used to the warmer temperature. Moreover, some fish species will escape from stream segments or coastal areas adjacent to a thermal discharge so as to find a suitable living place. Biodiversity can be decreased and food chains can be disrupted as a result.

Effects towards environmental sustainability: In ecology, sustainability describes how biological systems remain diverse and productive over time. Thus obviously, thermal pollution is a threat to environmental sustainability. It causes lots of effects to 24

ecosystem, particularly the food chain and biodiversity. Therefore, the discharge of water used as a coolant by industries should be treated properly and seriously. Baogang has done well in treating the discharged water. Cooling towers can be found near the steelworks. This can mitigate the problem brought to environmental sustainability.

III. RENEWABLE ENERGY Renewable energy is widely used in the Inner Mongolia province. Wind power and solar power are the common examples.

Scenario: During our trip, it was not difficult to find that solar panels and wind turbines were set along the highways. Furthermore, we could see huge renewable energy collection stations. The Mengniu Dairy Farm used biofuel in which stool from cows were burnt to generate electricity. This was an example of proper waste management. Renewable energy was very efficient since the minimal greenhouse gases were produced in the transition of energy to electricity, thereby producing the least pollutants and minimizing harm to the environment.

IV. CARBON FOOTPRINT Carbon footprint is the greenhouse gases emission that is measured through transportation, the consumption and production of food, etc.

The more the usage and consumption, the larger the carbon footprint measured. It indicated that there are harmful substances and greenhouse gases produced.

Scenario: When developing tourism, tourists may not discover that they have increased their carbon footprint during their journey. The most obvious case in our trip is found on Gegentala grassland. It has been developed into a tourist hot spot. The service centre is located at the centre of the grassland. There are some facilities such as KTV, restaurants and different types of yurts. Some places are still under construction for new buildings. Although this is a protected area, we are in doubt as if we bring damages to it. Actually, the garbage we pro25

duced is in turn doing harm as they may not be treated properly. Besides, the coaches carrying us were producing the particulates that were polluting the air there and thus the quality of air was worsened.

All of these human activities have raised the release of carbon, hence the carbon footprint.

CULTURAL ASPECT Culture is a traditional custom, which is full of jewellery and worth protecting. Every place has its own unique culture, and thus we are responsible to preserve them instead of merely developing local economy.

Strength in promoting and preserving the unique culture: During our tour to Inner Mongolia, we were impressed by some of the Mongolian culture. When we were staying at the Gegentala grassland, racial minorities demonstrated traditional horse racing and wrestling. And at the campfire party that night, they also performed their traditional dancing and singing to us. Comparing with knowing their tradition through books or other media, first-hand experience is more impressive and profound. Meanwhile, staff are locals still preserving their original lifestyle and at the same time promoting their culture to tourists. Therefore, they can balance preservation and tourism without much distortion of their primitive life.

Weakness in maintaining cultural sustainable:

there, some yurts still kept their original form and facilities, but some were pursuing a more high-end style. Those luxurious yurts can no longer tell the history or offer genuine experience to the tourists, which is not a form of cultural sustainability. Moreover, when we were visiting the herdsmen, we could easily find that all those food for the guests were bought from different companies but not made domestically. The domestically-produced taste of food is gradually disappearing. From these cases, the treasurable cultures in Inner Mongolia are unsustainable due to the overemphasis on tourism.

CONCLUSION All in all, it is known that measures adopted by Inner Mongolia to enhance sustainability are quite successful to a large extent, especially in economic and social aspects. It is hard to take sustainability into account while focusing on urban development, but it is even harder to insist on it. What we observed and realized in this tour is that Inner Mongolia has handled these two tasks well. We believe that it can act as a vanguard of sustainability in China since taking the first step is always the prerequisite of achievement.

To better promote sustainability of every human activity, we should start from the base - individuals. By arousing public awareness of sustainability and improving their attitude through civic education, it is not hard to foresee a better balance between human activities and the environmental protection in China.

However, the open door policy introduced by the government is emphasizing on economy. In order to cater foreign and local tourists, a lot of peculiar core values of traditional culture are being omitted or distorted. For example, we were settled in yurts for a night and right 26

Prepared by Wong Yuet Yi, Sze Yuk Ping, Mak Yin Fung, Mak ki Fung, Leung Cheuk Wing, Leung Wing Yan, So Wan Chi, Hung Ling Pong, Tang Wing Nam

IS INNER MONGOLIA LOCAL CULTURE BEING THREATENED IN THE AGE OF GLOBALIZATION? Generally speaking, globalization refers to the world development on different aspects through the increase in free flow of information, products and capital among countries. It can further affiliate people in a faster speed with the help of electronic communication devices and transport networks. Globalization could be evaluated from multiple perspectives. In this research, we will focus on how globalization affects Inner Mongolia from a cultural perspective.

Since the opening up in the 1980s, more and more foreign capital has been flooding into mainland China. Along with this, western culture has been rolling into the country. While some may optimistically think that the incoming western culture could enrich local culture, resulting in hybridity of cultures; however, some are worried that traditional Chinese culture could be threatened by western culture and consumerism, leading to homogenization of culture.

In recent decades, China has been vigorously developing mass tourism and brought in the western lifestyles in order to cater to tourists’ needs. Though huge profits could be earned annually, it has resulted in the breakdown of local culture. Hybridity of culture could hardly be seen.

In this trip, we have witnessed how Inner Mongolia local culture is being affected by globalization: from nomadic herding and floating residence to large settlements with various commercial activities.

Cultural homogeneity seems to exist in this case but little in cultural heterogeneity.

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General effects of globalization

B) Cultural effects

Before analyzing the present situation of Inner Mongolia, let us evaluate the pros and cons of globalization from the economic and cultural perspectives.

1) Enrichment of culture

A) Economic effects 1) Economic growth by trade The process of globalization enables countries to have a greater extent of trade of goods and services. It helps the developing countries turn its local economic activities into international trading activities. It, thus, can boost their economy by allowing them to utilize their resources, specialize in producing the goods or services at a lower cost and sell them to other developed markets, therefore allowing them to earn more foreign capital. Also, the developed countries benefits from the increasing trading activities.

It is evident that globalization has given a positive force to the Gross Domestic Production of those globalizing countries.

2) Diversification of economy Globalization can help diversify an economy in many ways. Firstly, as globalization leads to growing trading activities and greater demand for various goods, it will engage in producing different types of goods, rather than focusing on only a few types.
 Secondly, globalization gives rise to the exchange of cultures and ideas. People are likely to visit other countries owing to their unique culture, which thus favors the development of tourism. Finally tourism becomes a pillar of the economy of some countries.

After the process of globalization, those once-isolated communities gradually have more cross-cultural contacts with other communities.

People no longer confine to their traditions and customs, but start to embrace the culture of others. Music, movies, religions are some examples being globalized nowadays.

2) Cultural Encroachment Some countries may gradually give up some of the traditions, or merge them with the practices of other countries after the process of globalization because of reasons like the backwardness of the previous practices or the commodification of their own culture. The uniqueness of certain culture will finally disappear and the cultural homogeneity will result.

The present situation in Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia is now viewed by many as a prime destination for adventure-travel, natural resources development and new business and investment opportunities. Due to the improvement in transport networks, Inner Mongolia has gradually developed into one of the famous tourist spots in China. The government continues developing the region by setting up more hotels and a well-developed transport system, which allows people get into Inner Mongolia more easily. This can be clearly shown by main roads and railways found in the region. The urban area of Inner Mongolia could definitely show the influence of globalization. Many cosmopolitan amenities like fastfood restaurant, department stores and supermarkets could be seen over there.

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With the increasing flow of people, the government is keen on developing cultural industry based on traditional customs through commercialization, so as to attract tourists and promote cultural consumption, which refers to the consumption of cultural goods and services, for example, buying products of sheep, experiencing the nomadic culture by living in a Mongolians Yurt, and enjoying local performances and fireworks displays. These measures have created lots of job opportunities for the local people and provide another way for the Mongolians to earn a living.

Moreover, as almost half of Mongolia’s population lives a nomadic lifestyle by moving their Mongolians yurt for many decades, under the influence of globalization, the culture, values, lifestyles and consumption patterns of the Mongolians have been gradually integrated with the cosmopolitans and are becoming more and more homogeneous. For instance, Mongolians have abandoned their traditional

lifestyles such as nomadic herding and settled down in a particular place in order to serve the prosperous growth of tourism which brings them good profits. They have also started learning Putonghua, using the Internet and mobile phones for easier communication with the outsiders.

Each horse riding trip costs 300RMB.

Traditional Mongolian culture as a commodity sold to the tourists

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What problems may arise?

In Inner Mongolia, tourism's effects on local peoples have been profound. In the past decades, mass tourism has been contributing to the economic development in the region while at the same time; it has led to the breakdown of traditional culture. For example, more and more Mongolians have engaged in the tourist industry and abandoned nomadic herding, resulting in the gradual disappearance of the traditional economic activity.

Moreover, in order to cater for tourists’ needs who want souvenirs, arts, crafts as well as cultural manifestations; local people have made changes in the design of their products to make them more in line with the new customers tastes. For example, buildings in Inner Mongolia are not built according to local architectural standards.

Some yurts have installed air-conditioners which provide a more comfortable environment for tourists. However, this has totally changed the traditional Mongolian architecture.

All in all, commercialization has resulted in the loss of unique Mongolian culture as its artifacts, traditional activities and religions have become mass products and risked product standardization in the hope of satisfying tourists’ desires. So we can briefly conclude that Inner Mongolia local culture is being threatened in the age of globalization.

Suggestions To minimize the problem of the breakdown of traditional culture, Inner Mongolia government can organize and restrict the flow of tourists by setting the upper limit for visitors. This can reduce the chance of interactions between tourists and Mongolian, so that

fewer foreigners can bring their values and lifestyles while travelling in Inner Mongolia.

In addition, to minimize the problem of change of architecture, Inner Mongolia government can restrict the degree of development. Developer can only develop some of the yurts but most traditional yurts must be preserved.

Moreover, to minimize the problem of commercialization, Inner Mongolia government can provide subsidy to the Mongolians in order to avoid the mass production of artifacts as most of the Mongolians earn money via selling artifacts as souvenirs to the tourists.

Conclusion Although part of the Mongolian culture has been eroded because of mass tourism, it is inevitable for Inner Mongolia to modernize in the 21st century, and developing tourism is not at all harmful to the local culture. Nowadays, it is believed that sustainable tourism can strike a balance between economic development and the preservation of the traditional culture. Sustainable tourism avoids damage to the environment, economy and cultures of the locations where it takes place. The aim of sustainable tourism is to ensure that development is a positive experience for local people and tourists themselves.

Through talking to the locals and visiting the cultural heritages, tourists can have a better understanding of the local culture and know how to preserve and respect the indigenous lifestyles. Their itinerary should not be consumption-led but an eco-friendly and culture friendly one.

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QUALITY OF LIFE IN INNER MONGOLIA This section is prepared by Toto Chan Zi Tao 4D, Owen Yiu Chap Pang 4E, Chan Yui Ting 4A, Cynthia Gao 4D,Terry Ng Shing Lai 4E, Hung Yu Hong 4E, Lai Dic Sum 5E, Yung Tin Yam 5E, Lee Yau Sze 6C and Kuan Wing 6C.

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Entertainment Entertainment has been a crucial element in determining the quality of life of people in a region. Entertainment is always required for people to relax and relieve their stress. As all of us know, the entertainment facilities in Hong Kong are actually quite sufficient and diverse.

Both indoor and outdoor facilities are provided by the government or mostly by local companies. Sports facilities can be found in all districts, allowing local to train up their bodies and enjoy a healthy livestyle. Social community centres and libraries are also built all around Hong Kong for people to interact with one another while acquiring knowledge through reading; on the other hand, cinemas and karaokes are widely found in Hong Kong while they cost, comparatively, a lower price than most developed regions in the world, namely the US and the UK. People are able to enjoy an assortment of entertainments in Hong Kong which surely add much merriment to their lives.

As for the city of Datong in Inner Mongolia, as same as most continental cities in China, scarce entertaining facilities can be found in the city. Sports centres or sports ground could hardly be seen while swimming pool was out of sight. Luckily, with the large extent of flat land, a number of parks are found which act as oasis in the city, providing the Chinese with a place to relax and exercise; however, there aren’t many other entertainments provided by non- governmental companies or organizations. Cinemas were not in sight when we were visiting. Even though karaoke could be found, the charging system is different from that of Hong Kong. Customers are charged by the number of songs they sing, instead of the amount of time they spend, thus lowering people desire in going to these shops. Still,

malls can be found in the city which allows local citizens to savour the pleasure of shopping in free times.

To conclude, with the great difference in international status between Hong Kong and Datong, it is actually difficult to put them under comparison. Still, improvement must have been taken place in cities like Taitong, gradually emerging into a modern and international city with high living standard and quality of life.

Prices Relatively speaking, the commodity price is lower in mainland China than in Hong Kong.

In the course of the study trip, we visited many different part of mainland China, such as Beijing, and we found out that many food products are cheaper there. For example, a can of coca cola is about RMB$2 in mainland China while it is about HKD$6 in Hong Kong. Also, a bottle of mineral water is about RMB$1 and HKD$5 in mainland China and Hong Kong respectively.

Daily necessities are also cheaper in mainland China. A bar of soap is about RMB$3 in mainland China while the average price of a regular household soap is about HKD$10. A bottle of Lux shampoo is 32

around RMB$17 in mainland China while in Hong Kong, it is about HKD$35.

Transportation throughout mainland China is cheaper than in Hong Kong. Bus in Beijing cost RMB$1 for full fare and travels to every place for the same price. While in Hong Kong, buses of different routes costs different prices ranging from about $HKD4 to more than $HKD10.

Housing in mainland China costs much lower than in Hong Kong.

Buying a relatively cheap house in the rural area of Beijing cost around RMB$20000 per square meter. In Hong Kong, an average apartment usually cost over HKD$60000 per square meter. It is more difficult to afford a house in Hong Kong.

One main reason for the low commodity price in mainland China is because of the large amount of raw materials in China. For example, we visited Baotou where a large amount of iron and steel, and also rare earth, is found. These materials are then used as raw materials for industrial proposes, producing different products such as car parts.

with most items being imported from China. Transportation fee is covered in the price of the products. The commodity price in Hong Kong is therefore higher.

Another reason is the difference in wages. The average salary in Hong Kong is higher than that in mainland China. Minimum wage is set up in Hong Kong. Some employees are protected by the law and entitled to at least HKD$28 an hour for their work which made them about $6000 per month. Although China also promoted the minimum wage, the law enforcement in China is weak. The punishment is low.

Some employers refused to observe the law. They gave wages by counting the number of product made. This lowers the worker’s wage. Also the minimum wage is set up by using 40%-60% average salary of the city as reference. The wage change makes government difficult to calculate and employer difficult to follow. As the income level in mainland China is relatively low, people are less willing to consume, so the price of products are lower.

Therefore, the commodity price in Hong Kong is higher than that in mainland China.

Also, with China being called the ‘World Factory’, a lot of industrial activities are set up here. We visited the Mengniu Dairy Company Limited where milk products are produced and distributed around the world.

Moreover, extensive land present in mainland China provides land for farming and rearing. A lot of farmland growing corn is present along the sides of the road. All these made-in-China products lower the cost of transportation and reduces the need to import raw materials from other countries. Hence, production cost is lowered and so as the cost of products. Hong Kong rarely makes its own products 33

Transportation In term of transportation network, there are different kinds of transportation in different places. Due to the small size of population, some inner cities such as Datong and Hohhot cannot support a subway. The citizens there basically rely on bus as their mode of transport. However, the bus service is poor, characterized by low frequency, over-capacity, limited coverage, poor maintenace and obsolete facilities. Traffic jams are also common, thus increasing time cost of the commuters..

For large coastal cities like Beijing and Hong Kong, both are welldeveloped with the presence of subway systems. Undreground trains can improve the accessibility and the connectivity with other cities. For example, the MTR in Hong Kong link up the new towns with the Central Business District. This will enormously improve the geographical mobility. Also, it can act as an alternative for road transport such as bus. It can reduce the demand for road transport and partly solve the problem of traffic congestion. It can greatly shorten the commuting time. The number of taxis in big cities is much more.

In terms of transport efficiency, Hong Kong is much more efficient those cities in China. Despite the overloaded capacity of transport infrastructure in both Beijing and Hong Kong, the problem of traffic congestion in Hong Kong is less serious than Beijing. The reason be-

hind is that the urban planning and the development of transport infrastructure are better. It can reduce delay of goods delivery.

In conclusion, the infrastructure will affected by some physical factors and human factors. So infrastructure is an important part for maintaining higher quality of life.

Culture Due to the policies of reform and opening up, there are large differences between the development of more-developed cities (MD cities) and less-developed cities (LD cities) in China. Basically, moredeveloped cities refer to those cities with higher GDP, population, education level, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong ,etc., and vice versa, such as Hohhot, Baotou, Urumqi, etc.. Thus, the culture 34

varies due to these criteria. And the culture can be categorized as the following.

First, there are variations and differences on how and what people celebrate their festivals. For MD cities, they celebrate both western and traditional Chinese festivals. Some people treat western festivals more important than traditional Chinese festivals as they are westernized due to higher education and more chances of economic cooperation with western or even multi-national companies.

For LD cities, most people only celebrate traditional Chinese festivals. Some of the festivals are quite unique. For example, Nadam Fair is the most important festival for Mongolian. It is a grand gathering of the Mongolian people during the golden period of autumn between July and August that the vegetation and livestock are in their best physical condition. One more important difference should be added that many festivals celebrate in MD cities loss their original meaning of festivals.

People can travel to other countries or places to experience their culture, or they can even know more just in their own place of residence. However, due to inconvenient transportation and low standard of technology, most people in LD cities only live in their hometown and stay unconnected to the outside world .

Second, there are differences on how people behave. Generally, people live in MD cities are more gentle and with proper manner.

They are influenced by the western countries. There are many ways to show their respect to others. In contrast, people live in LD cities speak louder. They speak louder in order to show their enthusiastic personality. Nevertheless, due to the relatively low educational background with poorer hygienic condition, they spit on the street without considering others. They do not throw rubbish in a proper way and simply leave them on the street.

Third, inter-cultural communication is limited between the LD cities, but easily found between MD cities. This influence is mainly brought about the advance technology in the MD cities, making communications more frequent. One obvious example is education exchange.

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CONFLICTS BETWEEN MODERNIZATION AND PRESERVATION IN INNER MONGOLIA Living Yurts have been discovered since the 13th century while some historians even claimed that they emerged much earlier. Its roof ribs at the wall junction and lattice are straight, while Mongolians usually cover the wooden structure by layers of fabric and wool for insulation and weatherproofing. Yurt is used by Mongolians because it is portable and easily carried on wheels by cows. Therefore, it is suitable for Mongolian which is a nomadic race.

Based on our observation on Gegentala Grassland, there are mainly three levels of yurt: the traditional yurt, the medium yurt and the ad-

This section is prepared by Ng Cho Yee 4E, Lau Hiu Ying 4E, Wong Sze Yung 5E, Hau Ka Lam 5E, Chau Kei Lok 6B, Wong Cheung Tsin 4E, Wu Wai Lam 4E, Lam Tsz Fung 7B and Chu Ho Kan 7B.

vanced yurt. The traditional yurt keeps the real and original setting of the Mongolian yurt.

Inside the traditional yurt, the rafters, crown, door, and pillars are carved with traditional decorative patterns, which require advanced technical skills and creativity. The rare carved yurts are actually the work of skillful Mongolian carpenters who are equipped with strong ancient building and artistic knowledge. We stayed in this type yurt with traditional decorations and electric lights installed so as to experience the primitive life of Mongolians.

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ties were also created, thus upgrading the citizens’ quality of life to a certain extent. According to the bureau of statistic of the inner mongo government, GDP of inner mongo in the first half year in 2012 is about 667 billion RMB, increased by 12%.

Owing to globalization, however, a number of disadvantages appeared. The environment of Gegentala Grassland has been polluted. An obvious example is that higher water and energy consumption will lead to environmental degradation. Modern establishments may also bring about visual pollution there.

The medium yurt shares similar features with the traditional yurt, but with bathroom and air-conditioner installed.

The advanced yurt is specially made for tourists. Apart from airconditioners, there are televisions, French windows and toilets.

These facilities satisfy the needs of international travelers’ comfort.

Clearly, the advanced yurt is developed under the influence of globalization. Geographical mobility of population has become high under globalization where infrastructures (e.g. transport networks) have greatly improved. With the help of information technology, people all over the world can also easily know the information of Inner Mongolia. From the installation of advanced yurts, we can deduce that the tourism industry in Inner Mongolia is flourishing. The facilities of the advanced yurt are complete and are similar to those of basic hotels. This shows that Mongolians have realized the importance of revenue from tourism for living and development. Job opportuni-

The life of the Mongolians also undergoes changes. With rapid population growth, they have to share their homeland with others, meaning that the resources are more likely to be shared by a larger number of people, while some have to make regular performances to entertain travellers.

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Food Nowadays, many food and snacks are produced by the machines instead of manual labour. In the field trip, we visited Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy (Group) Co., Ltd The production of Mengniu dairy product use a lot of machines instead of bare hands. The production process is modernized but there are disadvantages at the same time.

As mentioned, Mengniu dairy products are produced using a western yeast for better taste. The market of Mengniu dairy can be enlarged and more different flavor are invented to globalized the products. With more different flavors, it’s easier for people around the world to accept its products.

Producing dairy products by machines enhance efficiency. Quality and hygiene of the product could be greatly improved. Machines can also be used to carry out the regular and safety check of the product. Then, consumers could be benefit as their safety is ensure. Producers could also benefit since they can save labour costs through mechanization and its profit can be guaranteed with better quality products.

However, relying on machines may lead to the loss of craftsmanship.

Then the later generation can’t learn from their parents since they because they don’t need to make the products by themselves with existence of machine. Thus, the tradition of hand-made milk may be lost.

Moreover, traditional method for production may be transformed to reach the general expectation. For example, the traditional yeast that the Mongolian are using is replaced by a western one for a better taste. And many different flavor were produced which didn’t exist in the tradition 38

Environment Long time ago, Gegentala Grassland provided a living place for nomads. They resided in their flexible Mongolian tents with their animals like sheep and horse wandering around the grassland. However, since the “Go West Policy” was adopted, it has been developed and gradually become a tourist attraction. The local people built Mongolian tents for tourists’ receptions. Facilities such as dancing hall, bar, and Entertainment Square are offered. We can listen to the melodious toasting songs and appreciate traditional Mongolian dances.

Resonant Sand Bay (Xiang Sha Wan) is a natural scenic area in Erdos City. It was a simple desert in the past, but under “Go West Policy”, it becomes a tourist attraction and large playground where we can contribute to the local tourist industry through enjoying such recreational activities as sliding, paragliding, surf-riding, karting. The Eco-tourism and national park with souvenir booths and tourist centres can be better developed.

The positive impacts are providing job opportunities and generating income to the local people. However, the negative impact brought to the environment of grassland and desert give way to environmental degradation. Air, noise and visual pollution may happen owing to the large number of Mongolian tents and telegraph poles and other

transport links built around the grassland and desert. The noise produced by tourists may also disturb the local people. The natural environment therefore deteriorates and it cannot be well preserved and featured as spots for eco-tourism as well as sustainable development.

Yet, efforts have been made by the local authority to protect the grassland against desertification by setting up designated zones that prohibit cattle rearing and carrying out afforestation, which can act as wind break to avoid soil erosion, thus reducing the amount of dust and sand and stopping the desert from spreading.

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Conclusion Commercialization becomes the blueprint of development in Inner Mongolia. However, the precious locality is not introduced and demonstrated to tourists in detail. Given the harsh weather there, development of eco-tourism is very restricted. As a result, the special culture of Mongolian cannot be spread widely or preserved well.

In this sense, suggestions are put forward in the following to have Inner Mongolia developed more sustainably regarding the aspects of living and environment.

For living, while it is quite unpractical to let people return to their traditional lifestyle , without the usage of electric appliances inside tradition yurts, the role of the yurts should not be downplayed either. As they serve as the main accommodation for travelers, paintings and written introductions of the traditional Mongolian way of living can be put inside the yurts for their reference. The ancient wisdom can thereby be passed on. Other measures concerning cultural preservation plans, population control policy, technical support on agriculture and subsidies, providing more job opportunities can also be considered by the authority.

For environment, it is true that zoning policy should be practised but implementation and enforcement of such policy are also important.

Protection areas against cultivation, cattle rearing and tourism have been set up. However, we realize that there is a lack of government support to develop tourism. More tour guides should be employed to explain to visitors the special physical characteristics of the grassland and the desert To achieve sustainability, the issue of environmental degradation and the harsh climatic conditions with a long freezing winter of about nine months should be seriously considered.

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4

REFLECTIONS

The Inner Mongolia trip, to me, is a rare experience to learn and observe things that don’t always being mentioned in ordinary lessons. Just like all the previous overseas trips I participated in.

This is my forth overseas trip in school and it is special to me in terms of the places visited and personal experience.

The stay in the Gengetala grassland was a unique and unforgettable experience. The visit not only gave us a clear picture of a temperate grassland landscape, but also show us the great scenes of the nature. The picturesque views in the grassland did stun me. The clear sky with numerous stars, golden sunset and sun rise are sweet moments of my life that I would never forget.

Another place that impressed me most was the visit to Baotou Steel Plant. This was my second visit to an iron and steel plant.

Watching the super heated liquefied iron pouring down the channel to respective plants is definitely a memorable experience.

Moreover, the steel plant also demonstrated industrial linkages among heavy industries and also the snowballing effect that affects the economic development of Baotou.

Personally, I take this trip as a graduation trip in my secondary life. Going on a trip with friends is always a special experience and we had great fu since we learn and play together in this trip.

I would always treasure the trip as one of my best moments in my life and these words would remind me for lifetime.

Michael Leung Lap Chi 7B

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I believe this 9-day tour to Inner Mongolia is far more than a quest for knowledge, not just for me, but also for teachers and many tobe university-students amidst us. In fact, we all treat it as a vibrant mobile classroom, in which we could acquire lively and tactile experience of Geography, Liberal Studies and Tourism and Hospitality. This is what an old saying says “ It is better to travel far than to read voluminously. “ What springs to people’s minds about Inner Mongolia brands the deepest on my memory – Grassland. There were in total 3 impressive moment for me.

First, it was the moment when I first reached the grassland. The spaciousness, the freshness and the serenity altogether bumped into you at the first glance. Each of them is not difficult to be found in our city; yet, there is no way for all of them to exist simultaneously in Hong Kong, do they? Amazingly, such a “tale of town” literally realises some hundred miles north of Hong Kong.

At that moment, I felt like I had really become a nomadic herder!

Second, it was the moment when I was enjoying both the spectacular firework display and delicious barbecue mutton as an after-supper leisurely delight. Regardless of the safety of food, such a combination could possibly drag anyone out from the bedevilment of stress and depression. If you have got tired of the

It’s better to travel far than to read voluminously!

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style of appreciating firework display in HK, why don’t change to a new one? And the Mongolian style won’t let you down!

Third, it was the moment when I witnessed the cracking of dawn for the first time of my life with my dearest group mates and teachers.

Until now, I can hardly forget the coldness of that morning. Well, as this trip was held in summer, it was not until that moment could I realise myself standing on a mid-latitude temperate ground LOL ~ By the way, apart from my group, there were many other tourists beside us looking forward to the burst of first sunbeam of a day. “Look! Is that … is that the sun ? Wow~wo~hooo!!!!” Yup, it was exactly the noise you could hear from the sunrise-gazing madding crowd; and, of course, I was one of them ^^ With such a magnificent film-killing view, we successfully produced a number of “National Geographicstandard” photos. You can flip through the magazine to search for them!

organising this trip and preparing numerous learning materials. I earnestly hope such a great annual event can gain support from our school, and it will continue in the future so that more students have the chances to participate.

Geography is my favourite subject, because I can learn a lot about the world. Most importantly, in the fulfilment of ever-expanding curiosity, carrying your own rucksack and setting off for the exploration of the nature is requisite. Are you ready for the next journey?

Wish all teachers and students all the best!

Eric Chong Hoi Yeung 5E

Moreover, there was a special programme of sharing in my coach. In this section, lower-form fellows, higher-form fellows and teachers shared sincerely their reflection and aspiration. Unsurprisingly, there was no shortage of touching elements. After that, I was deeply grateful for studying in CCSC, as I know that all teachers here are really devoted to virtue education (regardless of seniority) while many schoolmates have the will to improve themselves. Where can I find a better school?

I know I am luckier than many others that I have thus far joined 3 overseas field trips since Form 3, thanks teachers. Though I was appointed to be the tour leader of this trip, honestly I really didn’t contribute much other than passing instructions from teachers and helping in trivial matters throughout the whole trip. Mr. P. Lui, Mr. H.B.Ng, Ms Kong, Mr. T.C.Lee, Ms Yip and Mr. Chai did pay huge efforts in 44

Christine Yeung Nga Ting 7B

Picture this: You were lying on an undulating grassland, enjoying the starry night with your counterparts, who have just finished his or her journey of secondary school life with you. Isn’t it marvelous and memorable?

Without doubt, field trip to Inner Mongolia enables me to acquire knowledge effectively. Comparing with rote learning, this study tour requires observation and discussion, which train us to think and learn independently and be more aware of the surroundings. An inquisitive mind is not only vital to our academic performance but personal upbringing as well.

Aside from the unique learning experience, I’d like to share something about how we make this a greener trip. By estimation, the total carbon footprint in this trip is comparatively low. For one thing,

we took the Beijing-Kowloon Through Train. The carbon emission of high speed railway is just one-tenth of that of aircraft. What is more, recycling work has been done on the train and on the coach. Around 100 disposable lunch boxes and 300 bottles were collected.

Most importantly, participants’ environmental consciousness has improved.

Some even took the leading role to collect the recyclable items and separate different types of garbage.

Apparently, this field trip is a marked success as it increases both the width and depth of learning. With the support of geography and liberal studies panels, this journey would invariably change students’ attitude towards learning and discipline, which is vital to one’s personal growth.

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Amy Chan Nga Ching 7B

After the release of the HKALE result, I found that some dates of my university interviews had a clash with the dates of the Inner Mongolia Trip. Therefore, without affecting my chance of being admitted to the university, I tried to rearrange my Jupas choice and negotiated about the date of the interview with one of the universities. Overcoming these obstacles, I was able to go to this field trip finally. I really treasure this opportunity as this is the last field trip in my secondary school life.

To me, Inner Mongolia is quite a mysterious place as it is far away from Hong Kong and it has unique culture which is totally different from our Han culture. Actually, watching stars on the grassland outside the yurts is an inspiring activity. The sky which is full of stars reminds us we have to protect the limited land which is not yet opened up, or we will not be able

to enjoy the spectacular scenery in the future. Another activity which impresses me is riding horse. Riding horse is not an easy task as we imagine. We have to use almost every part of our body to control a horse and make a balance, so I found that Mongolian is really an amazing race as they cooperate well with their horses.

Inner Mongolia is a beautiful place that deserves our attention and protection. I hope that we can work together to help maintain the environment which is out-ofthis-world.

Last but not least, I would like to thank my teachers, tour guides, drivers and my fellow schoolmates. It is great to have you in this trip.

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Regarding different aspects of Inner Mongolia, they are all out of my expectation. In the environmental aspect, there are Frederick Yau Chak evidences that the government have planted lots of trees near highways or on slopes. This acts as windbreaks and helps prevent from deforestation. The situation is quite different from my thoughts that soils are exposed. In the social Lam 6B aspect, the Hans can get along with the Mongolians really well. For economic aspect, the GDP skyrockets. What Inner Mongolia is having now, actually, cannot be predicted now.

Learning from a factory of China Mengniu Dairy Company Limited is another brilliant experience. From the visit, we can walk through the factory and learn about the production process of various products. About the production process, there are basically several steps. The initial but vital process is to graze cows in a farm. In a farm near Inner Mongolia, 11000 cows are grazed which are claimed to be able to produce 30-40 kg of milk every day. Then, 5% of water is evaporated from milk so as to enhance the milk quality. After a series of complicated processes, products are packed by advanced technology and the quality is then ensured by the quality control centre. I have learnt so much from the visit and hope I can utilize what I have learnt in the future.

Besides, I am really glad that I have a chance to climb on the Great Wall. As the old saying goes, ‘climbing on the Great Wall means being a hero’, it is my pleasure to visit this scenic spot. I realize that the steps are steep and it cost lots of money, time and human resources in the past. Consequently, we should by all means protect it and I would recommend it to my foreign friends.

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This was the fourth and the last field trip in my CCSC school life.Inner Mongolia is an amazing place full of extensive grasslands and deserts. The sceneries are indeed eye-catching and brilliant. I’ve never thought that the desert can be so close to settlements and factories. The endless undulating grassland and the starry sky have left me wonderful memories. However, as we passed Beijing, I realized how serious the air pollution was in Beijing. The yellowish turbid air had almost covered up the sun and the windless weather has given me a bad impression on the capital of China.

The cities and towns in Inner Mongolia are very different from HK. The main roads there are very wide but pretty rough with depressions. It is uncommon to find such poorly maintained roads in HK. I was surprised when I saw traffic congestion in cities in Inner Mongolia like Baotou. Moreover, the road junctions are chaotic without traffic lights.

Sunny Hau Yat Long 6C

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The most unforgettable thing in this journey is the outstanding performance of the coach driver. He has been granted the name ‘Big Boss’ due to his excellent driving skills. His performance on the highway and winding roads are undoubtedly amazing. He drove very quickly and took over many cars on the road. We all praised his skills on the last day.

This field trip means so much to me. The nine-day field trip demonstrated good application of some geographical knowledge. That really impressed me. Besides, I was amazed to find that the theories I learn in urban geography do really suit the real-life case, thus consolidating my textbook knowledge.

This field trip gives a precious opportunity for students from all form to communicate and share experience with others. Senior form students can share their experience like those of universities program choice and dreams with lower form students, while the lower form students can express their difficulties with others and seek for advice. Besides, students can improve their life skills. The field trip can improve their discipline such as punctuality and  time management.

They also need to be independent during the trip and should actively participate in discussion. These life skills are essential in future career.

To be honest, I regret that I joined this trip too late. This is a trip that students of any subject should not miss.

At last, I would like to thank all group mates and teachers to make the trip unforgettable.

Leung Lok Hang 7B

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Ava Lau 5E

Seeing is believing. Seldom did I realize the true essence of travelling, but I figure out something different after the trip.

I think I am spoiled by my family; thus, I do not have faith in my ability. I used to be reliant, but I find that my adaptability is higher than expected. I was able to conquer my phobia of insects and height alone. It might be nondescript for many people, but for me, it is a breakthrough for sure. I am convinced that we can make a change, an unprecedented change for the betterment of tomorrow. If one’s potentials can be evoked in case of emergency, why can’t we step out and develop our strengths?

Having fathomed the aforementioned, my favourite activity is horse trekking indeed. I am not brave enough to take those breathtaking amusement rides, but I enjoy riding a horse. Galloping across the extensive grassland allows freedom to be well portrayed, both physically and mentally. Fresh air is Nature’s best tonic

for mind and body, a brisk breeze can also help you get rid of your unhappiness and tiredness. The beauty of nature expels my fear, and fills my heart with song.

By and large, it is really my pleasure travelling with my dearest teachers and companions. This field trip provides me with a precious learning experience, since we travel together to learn. It allows me to know more about different issues, and think from multiple perspectives. Moreover, my group members have a craving for learning and exploring, and I truly appreciate their courage and toughness.

They have never ceased to chase after their dreams. Something profound was conveyed – doing the things we adore is the best thing ever. Thereby, never let go of our dreams. I deem that we can grasp the shooting stars up in the air, if we have confidence in ourselves.

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Vicky Ma 5C

My first impression to Datong is an environmental friendly city in China. During our journey to Hohhot, there are not many streetlamps on the highway. Therefore, most of the tree trunks are painted in white. The reason behind is the light of vehicles can be reflected at night to avoid accidents.

Also, we saw many windmills during our journey. The streetlamps in Datong use renewable energy, i.e. having a windmill on the top of the streetlamp and one to two solar panel below the windmill. I think this is a brilliant idea as it does not require extra land to build windmills. People always say HK has limited space and is difficult to introduce the use of renew-

able energy. Although Datong is much bigger than HK, she has not wasted her valuable land to build more windmills or solar panel farm. Some people may say there is only small effect to HK even we use renewable energy on streetlamps.

But there are about 130 thousand streetlamp in HK, which can help Hong Kong to save much energy if we have similar facilities.

After visiting this city, I found some environmental friendly projects can be introduced in HK. There is no excuse for us not to promote renewable energy. It just depends on whether we are willing to do it or not.

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I’m glad to join the field trip to Inner Mongolia this year. In these nine days, I learned a lot about the importance of environmental protection. The sixth day was the most memorable day for me and pushed me to think a lot.

We visited Xiangsha Bay which is the margin of a desert with very little vegetation cover. The area contains recreational facilities for tourists and visitors. Apart from sliding on sand and motorbike, camels were found to be one of the transportation means at Xiangsha Bay. I felt extremely tired but had a lot of fun.

At night, my group which includes some F.5 to F.7 students and also an alumna discussed the factors of desertification. Within an hour, we built up team spirit and faith. I had never imagined that I could integrate into them. They gave me advice on my studies and cared a lot about our daily life. I feel an immense gratitude to them.

The trip brought me not only knowledge and fun but also helped me strengthen the bond between me and the other students.

Sze Pui Shing Jordan 4B

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The meaningful and fascinating nine-day trip to Inner Mongolia was full of unexpected twists and turns, surprises and astonishments. However, on the fifth day, i was totally touched by what i'd seen and experienced.

The itinerary on that day includes horse-riding, gazing stars and watching sunrise. When i first heard of these activities, i felt really anticipated and thrilled about it as I've never witnessed a night sky illuminated by stars. Before the night arrived, we had gathered on the grassland. eyes staring up the dark sky. After a while, the clear moon rose and tiny sparkles emerged from nowhere, more and more. Soon enough, the sky was over-whelmed by many stars and the sky was literally glowing. Every where i looked at was filled up by them. Being surrounded by these shining stars, the unique scene really caught me out of my breath and i suddenly felt myself being embraced by the mother nature and became speechless. the god-like architecture and the shaping of natural landscape make me truly appreciate the capability of the nature and the benefits brought to human beings, e.g. day and night, sea and land, etc. Witnessing this scene, shouldn't we remind ourselves what we can do to repay all her good deeds?

Choi Chun Ming Matthew 4B

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With the generous permission from Mr. Lui, I am able to join the Inner Mongolia field trip as an alumnus studying environmentrelated subject. The trip is quite meaningful and enjoyable in terms of the combination of the knowledge acquired and friendship developed. In this regard, I reckon the aim of this field trip is basically reached, though rooms for improvement could always be identified.

The most remarkable itinerary is the stay at the Gegentala Grassland. Arriving at the endless grassland in the afternoon and leaving the next morning, we were able to witness the romantic sunset, tranquil night with countless stars and hope-evoking sunrise in a tight schedule. I personally quite enjoyed the moment wandering around the grassland with the teacher who taught me a long time ago. In particular, when we reached a point where a panoramic view of the grassland can be seen, I could see tears accumulating in the eyes of Mr. Lui, being sensational to stand at a point on the endless grassland and witness the spectacular beauty of nature in person after teaching Geography for years. That moment is literally immortal to me.

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Apart from emotional interaction with my companions, we also had academic sharing during the journey. I deem it meaningful because it’s something that could hardly be achieved if one travels alone. This could also make use of the long traveling time to learn more. As for the process pending the visit to specific sites, improvement in learning altitude could be observed, especially the willingness to raise questions.

Other than academic achievements, I was quite impressed to see the students initiating and cooperating in recycling the waste generated during the journey.

This is something important, applying knowledge to daily life practice and putting ideas into action. Through the interaction with the students, I could not only feel their passion and anticipation for life and the future, but they also reminded me the good old days in CCSC when I spent my time with my classmates.

All in all, this field trip enables me to know more about the geographic conditions, associated threats and opportunities in Inner Mongolia. Moreover, I am pleased to have such a travel experience with the teachers and students in my alma mater, further developing the bonding and connection with them.

Howard Chung Tsz Hong, Graduate of Class 7A in 2010

Fascinating experience in Inner Mongolia

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Understanding myself deeply is another gain from this trip.

Actually, this trip offered me a great chance realizing the objectives of organizing study tours among students at different levels with different major subjects. Personal development can hardly be enhanced merely by reading textbooks and classroom teaching. I think going on study tours and field trips like this one can, on the contrary, help achieve personal growth.

Moreover, understanding myself deeply is another gain from this trip. I joined a trip to Wuhan when I was in form 4. What I had to do that time was to observe and share my ideas with my knowledge. However, my role this time is to guide the lower form students in, for example, directing their focus during visits. I remember that once our group encountered a term “windbreak�, which fellow members are unfamiliar with. I managed to explain its meaning and its function to them and therefore further group discussion was facilitated. This was my first time acting like a teacher and becoming that close with members, especially those sharing similar opinions as mine. Therefore, I really become more confident and active after brief interactions with group mates.

And I think that is the biggest gain I had in this tour.

Instead of those pale words written on papers, what we feel and observe in tours is our real experience and they are much impressive. Besides, advocating interaction among students from different forms is another objective for arranging study tours. Group discussion at night is an important element. By setting up a discussion topic, every member can contribute and listen to each other.

Since different students study in different subjects and thus they can share special- Kathy Yuen Ka Yiu 7B ized knowledge, widening the horizons of all members.

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For the last year of school life, I want it to be remarkable and memorable. Thus, I chose to join this Inner Mongolia Field Trip. To me, admittedly, this trip provided us a chance to broaden our horizons to understand more about what we have learnt in academic aspects, such as geographical natural features, deserts, grasslands etc.

More importantly, the field trip offered us an opportunity to relax ourselves from heavy academic burden with our friends. I must say that the latter one is the major purpose for me to join the trip. Yet, I still reminded myself on my responsibility during the trip, which was to give guidance or advice, such as my personal experience, ways of thinking, to students in lower forms. I truly felt that we have the responsibility to make them aware of the importance of contributing to the group during the trip instead of just focusing on playing.

During the whole journey, I found that the juniors often kept chatting, playing with their friends or even sleeping when the tour guide was introducing the province. Their behaviors show their disrespect to the tour guide. I understood that those information might be a bit boring to them, but it was their responsibility to show their respect to the tour guide. Other than that, they needed to think about what contribution can be made during the whole journey. During the discussion or sightseeing, they could share their opinion or raise questions to the guide. I think we cannot ignore the crucial point of learning actively. “Chance favours only the prepared mind�, if you prepare more questions and actively voice out, you can grab the valuable chances and gain much during the trip. Finally, I would like to thank the Geography and LS panels in holding this trip. Without them, I couldn’t have enjoyed this meaningful graduation trip.

Kitty Chan Yuen Ying 7B

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The trip has also changed some of my bad impressions towards local Chinese...

At the beginning, what drove me to join this trip were the beautiful natural scenery of Inner Mongolia and the personal desire to experience the big difference of daily temperature since Hong Kong located in sub-tropical region. So, did the trip let me down?

In these days, I really experienced the great daily temperature differences, of course. On top of that, however, the trip also largely widened my horizons, especially through visiting Baogang and Mengniu Dairy Farm, both of which are famous and leading enterprises in Mainland China. I was impressed by the high technology and equipment such as large scale machines and the mechanization of production. I've learnt much about the operation of the business and it reflected part of the economic strength of China. But on the other side, it also showed the problems like food safety, the incident of Melamine and the deprivation of the low-skill job opportunities that might hinder the ongoing social and economic development of China.

Apart from that, the trip has also changed some of my bad impressions towards local Chinese.

There are recently some major conflicts between Chinese and Hong Kong people and the mass media has always reported their misbehaviour and thus some discontent arouse among Hong Kong people. However, after the trip, the misbehaviour of the local Chinese may not represent the whole population. Due to the cultural differences and different education background, we should understand their culture and try to get accustomed to their practices as far as possible.

Last but not least, the talk with students of Qinghua University also made me know more about the differences in school lives between local Chinese and Hong Kong students. I appreciated their serious learning attitude and diligence. Another key difference is that they placed study as their first priority but Hong Kong students may put more efforts on extra-curricular activities.

This reminded me that focusing too much on either one side may be harmful and that striking a balance between study and extra-curricular activities is essential.

To conclude, the trip did not only provide a chance to relax, but also an opportunity for me to revisit and build further knowledge on what I've learnt.

Sally Leung Sze Man 6C 58

It has been a very inspiring and enjoyable field trip that I did not expect to learn so much before the visits and group discussion. In fact, I joined the trip only out of the aim to have some relaxation with my friends after the tough public examination. I did not consider too much about further learning at all. Therefore I am so surprised to find that we could observe geographical features, tourism, and sustainability of the society simply through visiting different tourist attractions. We were also able to visualize the knowledge we had learnt in Liberal Studies textbooks, like the dilemma between economic development and cultural preservation, and further explored such issues through group discussions. At the same time, we could take a glimpse of top-

ics we never studied before, for example the cause and prevention of desertification in Geography.

Apart from learning, I also had an unforgettable time with my friends here, especially the starry night during our stay in traditional Mongolian yurt. It might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see numerous stars, the galaxy and the gorgeous sunrise in one day.

Spending nine days with CCSC schoolmates, teachers and my beloved friends had pulled each of us closer to each other, making me feel so relaxed and affiliated to our school as a graduate.

Joanna Lok Ming Yui 6A 59

‘Mongolia’ might sound familiar to a lot of students, but I think most of them actually cannot deeply explain or introduce its regional culture. Originally, I shared such a superficial understanding to Mongolia like others and I thus decided to join this trip.

To be honest, it turned out that I learnt less than I expected. However, what I felt and saw were far beyond what I anticipated. The stunning sunrise in Gegentala grassland, the golden sand in Resonant Sand Bay, the automatic production line in China meguiu Diary Company Limited, the water-vaporized high temperature machines in Baogang, the dangerous supporting columns of the Hanging Temple and the small and crowded rooms on the

train left permanent records in my mind, and of course in my video-camera too as I am the representative of campus TV. Textbooks can definitely provide one with knowledge, but a guide book or even a single written word is unnecessary in this field trip because the tour guide and the spots already told the history and culture behind, e.g. when we visited the hanging temple, the josses inside told us the religion people believed in that era. I hope that there are more such interactive and experiential learning opportunities for us (e.g. local and overseas field trips) in the future.

Jeremy Chan Wing Chee 5A

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As a student who joined field trips organized by the school for the first time, this Inner Mongolia trip really has left me a deep-rooted impression. In these few days, I’ve seen and experienced a lot of things that I never thought of. One of my unforgettable experiences was the visit to the Gegentala grassland. The fantastic scenery and zealous people did impress me. It was impossible to observe such a beautiful starry sky in Hong Kong due to serious air and light pollution.

In this field trip, I totally visualized different stages in the “reform and opening up” of China. Long inter-city coach journeys allowed us to observe the development and characteristics of different places. For example, slogans about agriculture reform printed on walls of abandoned villages, well-established town-and-village-enterprises and This Inner Mongolia trip really has left me a deep-rooted impression.

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township credit systems. These and other examples illustrated what we’ve learnt from our LS textbooks.

Moreover, I thought it was quite lucky that we could befriend with teachers in the trip. We fostered our friendships through playing poker cards and other interactions, we could know more about them as they there were more chances to get along and share with them. I hope our friendship is able to last.

To conclude, I am so glad that Mr. Lui gave me this precious chance to let me join the field trip. I definitely will join the school field trip next year for both learning and entertaining.

Jeffrey Lo Chun Kei 5A

As I’m a science student, it was very lucky that I could join this field trip since the major subjects in focus were geography and tourism instead of science subjects.

In this trip, I could learn more about geographical knowledge such as the measures to prevent desertification. Moreover, I had more chances to appreciate the beauty of nature such as the sunrise on the Gegentala grassland. The sky bleeds red as the sun creeps over the horizon during the morning. In the evening, during sunset, the sunlight turns the grassland into golden color. At night, there are millions of stars shining on the sky. When I was appreciating the beauty, there were always some schoolmates accompanying me and this strengthened our relationship.

Last but not the least, I realized that the real Chinese society is not as backward as the Chinese society in our imagination, where people always do some uncivilized acts such as jamming queues and throwing rubbish arbitrarily. In the trip, we could see that the hygiene and social conditions were very good. The government or the citizens both encourage others to have a good moral value to maintain social harmony. On the street of the city or even a town, there are various types of slogans written on the walls. For example, ‘be careful to do anything and show great assiduity in work’, this slogan tells people about their responsibilities in their lives. ‘Treasure the land, control population’, this slogan is written on a village’s wall to inspire villagers to take a closer look into the depletion of natural resources.

In short, the field trip experience perfectly illustrated knowledge that I’ve acquired in different subjects like Liberal Studies.

Alan Yu 5B 62

‘Field trip to Inner Mongolia’ is the first field trip I have joined. Apart from Inner Mongolia, we had visited a few attractions in Beijing and Shanxi as well, such as the Great Wall. Unlike the majority of our schoolmates, I think visiting Xiang Sha Wan, the desert in Inner Mongolia, instead of the visit of Gegentala Grassland impressed me most. The exciting activities, like sliding and karting on sand, and the stunning scenery really impressed me a lot. Moreover, living in yurts in the grassland was another unforgettable experience too.

Yurt is the traditional housing of Mongolian, thus I think living in the yurt can experience their life style most closely and was hence extremely meaningful.

During the field trip, I was interested in the topic of commercialization. Group mates were always discussing on multiple effects of developing cultural heritages and geographical features into various tourist attractions. For example, yurts that are way more luxurious than traditional ones and activities such as horse racing and archery could be found in the grassland, while surf riding and paragliding can be found in the desert. It is known that commercialization would more or less harm the natural environment, however it somehow provides greater attractiveness to tourists, which can raise the interest of more people in those natural landscapes and heritages.

Thus, it is indeed worthy to strike a balance between preservation and development, a suitable level of commercialization with minimal damage to environment and culture may be considerable.

Overall speaking, I enjoy this field trip so much and I am thankful to all the people involved in this trip, especially the responsible and knowledgeable tour guide. Ilook forward to the second chance of field trip study sooner or later.

Yuna Luk 4B 63

This is my first time to visit Inner Mongolia. That’s a non-economic-oriented place.

The most unforgettable thing in this trip must be all the sceneries. I treasured every moment with schoolmates and all the happy scenes throughout the trip.

Visiting the grassland and desert were among the most precious experiences.

Knowing how the life on a grassland is, experiencing the daily temperature differences were fantastic examples, among many others.

While the world is developing rapidly, there are not many places that are still not developed as witnessed in our trip. We were looking forward to studying scenic spots with a blending of natural features and developed facilities for tourism (e.g. the Gegentala grassland). I was wondering if tourists may pollute the environment there. For instance, many tourists arrive in the grassland to experience life in yurts and enjoy the breathtaking scenery. Also, a few restaurants and numerous yurts were set up to provide accommodation and service. Not only the carbon emission from the coaches, but also the garbage produced are affecting the environment.

Furthermore, looking at the development in Beijing and Inner Mongolia, we could discover that it’s always emphasizing civilization. It started from the village and finally reached the city. For example, slogans telling citizens to queue up, speak politely and refrain from splitting are found on walls ubiquitously. These ideas help establish a civilized city, indeed, it’s adjusting the impression of an uncivilized China in visitors’ minds.

Last but not least, when we did shopping in some shops, the shopkeepers approached to greet and talk with us. They were eager to know more about Hong Kong the “mysterious” city. Via the conversation, I found that not all the mainlanders were as rude as I once imagined.

As a whole, I will never forget this trip since I really experienced a lot. It’s lucky that we did capture every happy moment and precious time using camera. Now, when I look at the photos again. I feel like I were in Inner Mongolia.

Ma Ki 4B

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Money and prosperity by no means can improve one’s living; however, materials are not what we should only chase for, but psychological satisfaction.

The meaning of a trip, is not just giving our students a chance to gather with their friends, but also an opportunity for them to learn more outside their home country, to get inspired, which may change them. And what I’ve learned is the beauty of nature.

In Inner Mongolia, I took a look at a lot of amazing sceneries, the most unforgettable one was the green Gegentala grassland. It is impossible for us to escape from severe light pollution in Hong Kong, we can hardly see any stars at night. But on the grassland, we could almost see every single star in the sky and were further impressed while we managed to sketch out the galaxy.

When we get something, we lost something in return. Nowadays, we enjoy the convenience and high efficiency of life.

Here in Hong Kong, scarifying stunning starlight. In contrast, the Mongolians do not enjoy such a high living standard, yet they own the most attractive starry night in the world. Money and prosperity by no means can improve one’s living; however, materials are not what we should only chase for, but psychological satisfaction. Maybe, we can learn more from the Mongolians, not only keep eyes on coins, sometimes on the stars on the sky.

Simone Lee Yau Sze 6C

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The trip to Inner Mongolia was out of my expectation because of the palatable cuisine and pleasant accommodation. The yurts in the grasslands look much better than my imagination. Although there were many bugs which were so disgusting, it was meaningful that we could gaze stars and enjoy spectacular scenery there.

Talking about the itinerary in the trip may be boring. I want to share some other special things throughout the trip. I was touched when I listened to peers’ sharing especially the sharing section held by the F7 graduates. Actually I am not talkative when I stay with acquaintances. The graduates told us that we should cherish every chance to learn through asking more questions. I believe it could really change my learning attitude.

persuade people to be environmentallyfriendly in order to protect the Earth. I appreciate her that she can be mature when facing some important stuff. Although I am not clear with my vision, I know that I would like to participate in airline industry afterwards. I don’t know how to achieve my goal. After Christine’s sharing, I think I need to look for more opportunities. For of course, I need to pass my public exam right now.

And not surprisingly, ending my secondary school life with an educational and fabulous trip is superb.

Candy Kuan Wing 6C

Nevertheless, Christine told us that we should find our dream. Her dream is to 66

I learnt and gain a lot form the field trip to inner Mongolia. The places where we visited were related to different LS, Tourism and Geography topics. It was a great chance to go out of the classroom and learn in the real situation. Knowledge cannot be acquired merely from textbooks.

Sometimes we should get it worldwide. After we visited these places, teachers would discuss these topics with us. I think it is the main difference between common tour and study tour. Apart from learning, we could have more communication with teachers. In school, both teachers and students are very busy. Apart from teaching and listening to, we do not usually have other conversations. But in the trip our relationship look seemed like friends. It was amazing and unbelievable. I never thought that our relationship could ever be that close before.

Owen Yiu Chap Pang 4E It was my first overseas field trip, so I was quite excited at first. Actually, the field trip was unexpectedly meaningful that not only nature could be explore,but also things could be learnt from others. Sharing s from upper form had inspired me enormously. Their experiences would definitely make me more mature. Besides it was a great chance to go on field trip with teachers. At school, we would have less chance to be so close with teachers. In this trip, we played and worked together. This kind of experience was memorable and unexpected.

On Inner Mongolia's grassland, I was entirely enthralled by the nature.

Blue sky with green field in daytime, black welkin with twinkling stars at night were entrancing. Despite the beautiful scene on grassland. I enjoyed the exploration of the desert in Xiang Sha Wan most. It was a unique and brought me a great comfort.

Toto Chan Zi Tao 4D

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This was an unforgettable trip. This wa my first time to travel to Beijing by train and sleep in the train. I think we should always explore new things. Although travelling by plane is more convenient, travelling by train gave me another taste of travelling. Changing environment and adapting to new things make me more knowledgeable. I can develop my life skill to adapt to them, making me more independent.

Living in traditional Mongolian yurt where electrical appliances are absent, I learnt to live with nature. I think Hong Kong people are affected by materialism. I appreciate Mongolian simple life style because they have entertainment only from the nature. Hong Kong people cannot live without gadgets while Mongolian can still live

very happy by just riding horse, singing and wrestling.

Looking at the beautiful scenery made me feel the power of nature. Nature shapes different landscapes. Standing on the grassland and in desert make me feel how tiny human beings are. If human continues to pollute the environment, the nature will bring hazards which human cannot avoid. So, we should protect the earth.

Also, I learnt the importance of being punctual. Being late will affect the whole group of people. It is not fair to have everyone wait for you while you sleep for a longer time. You waste everybody’s time.

Evelyn Chan Yui Ting, 4A

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This is my first time joining a study trip. I was given the opportunity to travel abroad with friends and fellow schoolmates from school. We went to Inner Mongolia and lots of different places that I have never been to. I expected the worst, but everything went better than expected.

What struck me as the most memorable was the day spent in Inner Mongolia. It was the first time I saw a grassland this vast and this green, I felt rejuvenated just by taking one single breath. The air there was fresh and cool, as there is little pollution. People live in harmony with horses and cows, the scene was so peaceful and relaxing that I made a mental note to myself to never forget this breathtaking picture before my eyes. The local heritage is really interesting, people there does not depend so much on gadgets and electronic appliances, unlike people living in the city. I can’t imagine a life without gadgets, even a day away from the computer is painful for me. Life in the grassland is easy and simple, they farm, they rear, they sing, they dance.

People there don’t care about money and personal interests as much as people in the city, they can be perfectly happy with the little things in life such as fishing and drinking tea. But it is unavoidable in the city, as it is a predator’s world we live in, fit only for the survival of the fittest, materialism is all that we care about, we would be rejected by society if we try to live a simple and carefree life like the nomads.

Going on a study trip is certainly different from learning about different scenic spots from reading books. Only by reaching the destination yourself, can you truly experience the hardship you’ve gone through on the trip and the satisfaction upon reaching there. Only then can you understand the feel of wind blowing on your face and the slimy feel on mud beneath your feet. I can also remember the history behind some historical monuments clearly when I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

Cynthia Gao Yu Ning 4D 69

I am lucky and honored to be given this chance to travel abroad, I will not forget about this trip and the lessons I’ve learned in this duration.

I was ready for excitement when I lifted my rarely-used rucksack. Inner Mongolia certainly did not fall short to my anticipation. 'Miracles' is all I want to say after the trip. It is in plural form as there were countless chances for me to admire the wonders in the world and each of them carries a profound meaning to me.

What composed the miracles were the Ridings and the Looking-Ups. I almost rode on everything that can possible be: Horse, Camel and Donkey.

Riding on a horse was feeling light and speedy on the grassland, but so did my images on horse-riding, fading away like a feather, soft and hasty.

Camel walked slower, but the ride was way better. Swinging like a pendulum, the camel seemed like throwing me down. However, when I got through this discomfort, I started taking fun from the swing as the cushion-like humps were like a baby's crib, calm and tranquil, allowing the spectacle of Resonant Sand Bay to lodge in my mind.

Literally, I rode on a donkey, and it did not march a step before I was halted by a Mongolian owner. Still, the modest look of the donkey was enough to capture my eyesight.

For the Looking-Ups, it was impossible not to keep your heads up during the trip. The historical heritages were so gigantic and statuesque that they pierced the sky, such as the Great Wall and Xuan Kong Shi (suspended temple). They cannot be fully seen by horizontal eyesight.

Another Looking-up was for the night living in yurts on the Gegentala Grassland. The starry sky glued the gaze of everyone and only at that time can we realize how tiny we are.

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Although the stories up there seem valuable and rare, I think what I will treasure and remember the most will be the true meaning of travelling. It is all about comparison and determination. The most obvious and utmost benefit of traveling is that you are going to get into another lifestyle that you have never tried before. There are many to see, to feel and to put in your memory. Trip to Inner Mongolia is to experience a harsher life. China has got one of the world's best W.C., that you would risk your life every time getting into a no-flush one. Flies are everywhere that they can block your vision. Other than much better natural scenery, China is nothing like Hong Kong. But that will be the motivation to work harder, craving for better life.

After trips, people can find their dreams, going after it, because they can see what they want and don't want. Life can be controlled by ourselves only when we know what we are fighting for.

The last day of miracle composing was at Tsinghua University. Beyond the scenic and geographical admiration in the previous days, this time was something cognitive and academic.

Unlike our conventional thoughts, students there are very open-minded, welcoming different exotic ideas. They do not feel ashamed of their country, but, on the other

hand, develop a strong sense of critical thinking, accepting both credit and discredit of PRC. Thus, it makes them mature, modest and profound. When comparing to them, I can't help feeling ashamed. We have been taking too many things for granted, like freedom, advanced education and comfort, and we tend to overlook the values of these taken-for-granted. Even the political and social environment does not allow, students in Tsinghua still try their best to develop the one-and-only 'me', being immune from communist colours. In contrast, Hong Kong teens are unavoidably the slaves under the rote-learning education system. We don't know what are Dreams, what are aspirations nor even Life. It is the city pace that leads our living, instead of our own interest and love. Not to mention the gulf between the characters of HK and Chinese teens, in china students are determined, resilient and bright. In some special cases, they may need to travel across provinces to study a better university like Tsinghua. Although it's harsh, they demonstrate their youth with energy and enthusiasm. I do hope HK teens can pick up the courage like them.

Seeing is believing, make every day counts.

Terry Yung Tin Yam 5E

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Not many people in the planet have ever enjoyed a night in a Mongolian yurt under the iridescent sky; not everyone has ever ridden on a galloping horse and cruise the vast grassland. These are only selected scenes of our journey which will surely remain indelible in our lives.

what people around us desire. We shall follow our own dreams and shall not go astray from our routes, stick to our own believes and pursue our dreams.

Though future prospect in the modern society must be put under consideration when choosing subjects to be studied in universities, our own interest should reMost study tours focus on the tangible main to be at the first priority. Studying aspects, namely visitations of physical some other subjects that have a marvelattractions and amusements in various ous prospect but you have no interest in leisure facilities. Yet, for this time, it is tois just a total waste of time, money and tally the opposite. Senior students and endeavors while you will fail to learn anyteachers shared their thoughts and thing from them. I also found myself codreams amidst the long journeys on herent with Mr. Chai’s perception of an coach commuting between attractions. authentic teacher. He provided us with a Among their sharings, I particularly redefinition of “teacher� who should be a agree with Michael, a form seven student mentor of students, instead of only a perwho had just received his A-level examison conveying knowledge, and what benation results. I had found us akin in variing a teacher means to him. I am sure ous aspects first in the last field trip to Sathat most of us on the coach were imbah. We study nearly the same three pressed by his speech which certainly electives, though we are taking two exhad moved Mr. Lui who always shares aminations that vary in difficulties. We the same thought as his. have emerged to be a better student after taking these subjects that we have in- It has been such a impeccable trip that terest in and good at. I believe his sharmakes me grow mentally and psychologiing of his experience and dreams is one cally, assuring my dreams and allowing of the most memorable parts of the me to ruminate about which path I shall whole trip. We should choose what we choose and my future. desire and what we want, instead of Samuel Lai Dic Sum 5E 72

S7 Matthew Chu Ho Kan As a Geography student, I decided to join this school trip to Inner Mongolia for my enthusiasm for desert, which is one of the highlight of the subject. And it turned out to be more than admiring the glistening sand dunes of the Resonant Sand Bay— locating at the margin of the Kubuqi Desert— as well as the vicissitudinous skyline and the vivid field of the Gegentala Grassland, but there was much more to know about. Experiencing the livelihood of the Mongolian by living in their yurt, visiting cultural heritages of nearby cities showed us the convectional side of modern China. Moreover, by visiting local industries such as Baogang and Mengniu, we witnessed the modern production techniques adopted like the extraction of rare earth in Baogang and full mechanization in milk processing procedures in Mengniu, which explained the reasons of the rapid economic development in Northern China as modernization enrolled.

Nonetheless, we also acknowledged the unfortunate truth that commercial activities were not developing Inner Mongolia in a sustainable way. Indeed, much tradition and custom was not well preserved and somehow, distorted. For example, horse riding tradition of the

Mongolian became a mere tourist attraction but not enjoyed in leisure by the local, and their conventional food was used as another gimmick to attract tourists, which was packed as souvenirs. Ethnic dance and songs were put on the stage while yurts were installed with air conditioners for travelers to try the Mongolian style of living yet without any introduction of the old Mongolian origin and wisdom by the local people. Old way of living became ‘only for tourists’ but the general public were leading a modern way, living in apartments, commuting by vehicles and eating hamburgers.

These led us to the conundrum of the conflict between modernization and cultural preservation. We know there should be a balance but the crux is where the balance should rest on.

Frankly, I think at least tourists should be demonstrated the history and other characteristics of locality.

All in all, though we mourn the cultural loss in Inner Mongolia, we adore the natural beauty there—that is still quite pristine and untouched as compared to other part of the developing China. I also appreciate the effort of our teachers and the related staff for organizing and leading the tour. Besides learning, I think this journey is a worthy one, especially when students from different forms and classes, and teachers could come closer to each other. Indisputably, it marks a perfect ending for my time in Cheung Chuk Shan College as a graduation activity that I could hardly forget.

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S7 Lam Tsz Fung, Jeff The Field Trip to Inner Mongolia passed through Beijing, the capital of China ,Datong and Hohhot. This long journey revealed the modern development of China such as the progress of urbanization and the impact of developing tourism in Inner Mongolia.

First and foremost, China is experiencing rapid urbanization. In Beijing, we could see there are many construction works, especially the transport networks.

Bridges, highways, tunnels are some of the evidence of urbanization and suburbanization. The accessibility between inner city and suburb is improving, people living in outer city are moving to inner city to enjoy a higher living standard.

That's why we can see abandoned lands along the road in suburb.

Furthermore, the tourism development in Inner Mongolia renders both positive and negative impacts.

ture and well-established transport networks. Tourism is promoted through building distinctive Yurts and entertaining facilities. For instance, there are recreational facilities like karaoke, bathroom and extraordinarily grand Yurts. All these provide a comfortable environment for tourists.

Besides, the tourism development in Resonant Sand Bay on one hand can make money but one the other hand provoke less detrimental effect to the environment.

However, the tourism development stifles the color of traditional culture. i virtually feel disappointed because local people construct various kinds of buildings in order to satisfy the needs of tourist such as KTVs and toilets in Gegentala Grassland.

Herein, however, lies the rub, these constructions hamper the distinctive culture since I expected to experience the life of those ancient people.

In terms of the positive impacts, it improves the living standard of the residents there through the provision of job opportunities, construction of infrastruc-

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S6 Sirius Chau Kei Lok It was my second year to join the annual field trip which is always rewarding, blissful and educational. To summarize, there will be two major gains I have awarded during the Inner Mongolia field trip- realizing the applications of what I have studied in daily life, as well as the importance of protecting our deteriorating global village.

To be honest, I have never agreed that my science knowledge can be realized in my life, though this is rather stupid to most of the people, till I have visited the Baogang where I came across with the complicated process of treating the metals and various types of metal ores such as calcite and copper pyrite. What I had paid in studying science was not a waste, instead I can pass my knowledge to other friends to share my insight and cognizance. It facilitates effective and meaningful communication with friends. What’s more, it allows me to have better understanding on the operation of Baogang. The experience encouraged me to continue my studies in different fields since knowledge was proved to be useful in daily life.

Apart from this, the time in Gegentala Grassland motivated me to take actions in protecting the environment. I was disappointed when I saw the dark, opaque and disheartened sky in Beijing- how come the blue and fresh sky became grey and dead? I was astounded by what I saw in Gegentala Grassland- clean and clear. It evokes my memory of Don McLean’s Vincent (Starry, Starry night): Starry, Starry night, paint your palette blue and grey. Stars in sky sparkled like loads of diamonds, while the serene moon hanged tranquilly to twinkle and glimmer the starry sky. Obviously, you will then come up with a question: why two totally opposite appearances of the sky can be viewed- one in a populated and highly polluted yet financially prosperous city, while the other in a calm location with zero light pollution yet less developed race? The phenomenon apparently leads to a conclusion: if we want a pleasant environment, we have to sacrifice certain values, perhaps economy or prosperity to earn the ideal environment in turn, and vice versa. I do believe that everyone has the responsibility to fight for our future planet and try our best in keeping the damage to the Earth to the lowest. However, under such economically intense world, is it possible for everyone to give up the appeal-

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ing money and save the environment? The answer is obvious.

To conclude, it was really a golden chance to take part in the field trip. It was not only a matter of chatting and hanging out with schoolmates, but also an opportunity to enrich my understanding in various areas and widening my eyesight at the same time. Hong Kong is definitely an international and irreplaceable city in the world, yet she is not the whole. If you have already satisfied with what you have learnt now, you will never be a successful person. Only restlessly searching for uncertainty and looking for opportunity equip you with strong knowledge. Again, thanks to all teachers and helpers in the field trip. Without all of your effort, the field trip would not be that successful.

6B Jacky Lau Sai Lap It’s my second time joining study tour organized by school. My experience is different from the one in Sabah. In general, the trip gave me two amazements and one pity.

I was amazed at the hanging temple in Da Tong as it was built without any nails 1500 years ago.

Not only were people in the past brilliant, modern Chinese people also contribute to the world.

Baotou iron and steel factories show the breakthrough of technology and engineering. Steel produced in those factories is used to make aircraft.

Moreover, I admired the unlimited nature, from the sun on the top to grassland at the bottom. It was my first time seeing sunrise with my fellow schoolmates. We were not afraid of the strong wind and tiredness. We were rewarded with seeing the golden ball climbinged over the mountains. I also stepped on Resonant Sand Bay. The beige sand was soft and tiny. All of us enjoyed walking on the desert.

Despite these amazements, I felt pity for the poor and undeveloped rural villages. It shows the large disparity in China. Mengniu Dairy Farm develops well while the villages located hundred kilometer apart lack resources. In order to alleviate the difficulties, I hope the government will build more infrastructures and provide more investment to these villages. Knowing the poor situation, I should always treasure what I own.

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Ann Hau Ka Lam 5E On 7th July, I joined the field trip to Inner-Mongolia which was organized by the school, therefore I travelled with other 59 schoolmates and 6 teachers.

First, we travelled to go Beijing by train for 23 hours, it was the first time that I travelled by train for such a long time! Initially, I expected that it would be very boring since we had to stay on the train for 23 hours and the train we slept must be very dirty. It was out of my expectation that the time was gone in a swift way as I and my classmates played together, ate together and chatted together. It was very new for me to travel by a train and this can help me to know more about how the train is operated and understand the importance of trains in China---train can transport a large amount of people to back to their homeland during Lunar New Year who cannot afford the price of taking airplane.

Moreover, we’ve been to the grassland in Inner-Mongolia. The vast grassland which is decorated by the splendid blue sky is the most attractive destination in the trip as I could leave my worries and pressure in Hong Kong for a while. I was calm when I was enjoying that fabulous grassland. On that day, the school arranged us to stay in the yurt for a night and we couldn’t even have a shower that night.

Despite shower was not available at that night, I enjoyed a lot that night very much as I could appreciate the fantastic starry night with my friends. I will never forget that night as the starry night was so amazing and beautiful! Although it was quite cold in the grassland, I felt warm with my friends when we were lying down on the grass together, I think it was the only chance for us to be so close.

After that trip, I’ve learnt the Mongolian culture which is very different from ours such as in eating habits and their customs. Although it is not a habit for me to live in a yurt, it was my honor to have that chance to live in it since the yurt could make me to have a more clear understanding about Mongolian culture. Also, the yurt is a perfect place to have a gathering because the design of the yurt is a circle so it is easier for people to communicate with each other. Besides, I had been to the desert, helping me to understand the problems led by overgrazing and over-farming---more and more land will become a desert and the weather there will become drier and drier and finally will have serious droughts. I hope that the government will regulate laws to check the level of overgrazing and over-farming so that the problem will be solved finally.

During the trip, I could get not only the new knowledge of the Mongolian culture, but also the new friends from different forms. We would discuss different topics about the trip, which was beneficial to our understanding about Inner-Mongolia. Finally, I would like to thank the 6 teachers that led us as they had tried their best in organizing the trip and taking care of us. They chatted and played with us and our relationship is thus much improved.

I will never forget the trip because I could learn much knowledge about Mongolian culture and I could enjoy the starry night which is impossible to be seen in Hong Kong. I hope that the school will organize more field trips so students can have more chances to discovery different parts of the world rather than always read the textbooks.

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Nicole Wong Sze Yung 5E The moon hanged high in the sky, and the stars were flickering. We laid on a blanket, a meteor flitted across my eyes.

I think the most impressive tourist attraction is Gegentala Grassland. During the campfire party, those Mongolian danced and sang. I could totally feel the passion of them. That night, I slept in yurt. At the beginning, I was scared because the yurt was old and shabby in appearance.

But unexpectedly, I slept very well that night.

Furthermore, I had ridden three animals, horse, camel and mule. I had different feelings while riding on different animals; riding on horse was carefree while riding on camel was more relaxing. People can see horses in Hong Kong but not camels and mules. Therefore, I am super lucky to ride on them!

In the whole trip, I visited many destinations, but most of them were commercialized obviously, such as riding horse, which was a traditional transportation in the past, but people now need to pay 200 RMB or even more to it. But still, people can know more about Inner Mongolia

as more tourists are attracted by those activities, people are willing to preserve these traditions. If people cannot earn money, I think no one is willing to operate the business.

After the trip, I learnt that we should respect other custom, including their appetite of taste. Hong Kong is a southern place, but Beijing and Inner Mongolia are in northern China, they are used to eat something in strong flavor. We may be unfamiliar with those cuisines, but we have to try it and should not have any complaint. In the lesson of Tourism and Hospitality, I learnt that food is one of the components of culture, therefore, if we want to learn others cultures, we need to taste their food.

To conclude, this trip was really inspiring, I thought a lot after this trip, also I could apply what I learnt in lesson on reality.

Therefore, this trip was unforgettable, and those experiences will keep in my mind forever.

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We don’t just learn from textbooks. We learn from experience!

Alex Wong Cheung Tsin 4E In this 9-day Inner Mongolia field trip, we had visited several destinations in Shanxi, inner Mongolia and Beijing where I hadn’t been to. We could see that everywhere was developing, including houses, railway. Although the people were not much civilized, they tried to improve and solve this problem. However, people in Hong Kong always laughed at them, refusing to give them a chance to correct their wrong doings. Also, they think that all the Chinese people were badly-behaved and not well educated, but they ignore those people who were improving. Thus, I think that we should

change our mind and give a chance to our motherland's compatriots. That’s the only way to help them!

Also, during the trip we can appreciate the scenery in China. People always said that, if you want to find beautiful scenery, you need to go to China at least once. Ft this time, I totally agree with such saying.

We can find the landscape that we had found in our geography textbook. Similarly, during the discussion with our teacher, we had learnt many skills like multiple-perspective thinking that we need to use in our LS lesson. In conclusion, we have learnt a lot that we can’t find in our textbook in this field trip.

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Hilda Lau Hiu Ying 4E Although I dislike traveling through the form of guided tour, I think this Inner Mongolia field trip was quite interesting, especially because we could try and experience lots of new things with my lovely fellow schoolmates. We went to the grassland and desert, watched that sunset, gazing stars under the dark blue sky with countless stars and stayed in the yurt for a night. The activities I like the most are riding the horse and playing in the desert. I felt really good being in grassland and in desert!

The locals in the grassland made me feel even more enjoyable and happier in the trip as during the time we spent with them, I could feel their passion in the unique culture and how they enjoy being a part of it. This is what I admire most and love apart from the activities in grassland and in desert.

However, I didn’t fancy about the long traveling time to different attractions and restaurants, which made us spend much time on a coach. From another point of view, still, I could observe China for a longer time through the glass window of a coach. I saw some more developed cities were leading forward in applying the high and environmental-friendly technology. At the same time, I could also saw some less developed and poor places. Differences between the places the coach driving by could be huge. If I have to include some LS concept, I would say I am very glad that I’ve a chance to observe this modern China. In conclusion, it was a nice trip.

We went to the grassland and desert, watched that sunset, gazed the starts under the dark blue sky with countless stars and stayed in the yurt for a night...

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Jenny Ng Cho Yee 4E This is the first time I joined this kind of field trip to Inner Mongolia. The living environment in the train was bad and I couldn't adapt to it, but it was not the true picture. We could actually play card games and share our school lives with our friends, so it was a great time to understand our friends and teammates.

Also, we could enjoy the scenery during the train journey.

My most unforgettable experience was visiting Gegentala grassland and Xiang Sha Wan. It was the first time I lived in the yurt and gazed the stars with friends.

It was really amazing that there were many stars in the dark sky that I have never seen before. Without any light pollution there, I could really enjoy the sparkling stars. Moreover, the scenery in the Xiang Sha Wan was wonderful. I could see the real picture of sand dunes and think about the formation process from what I learned in Geography. I enjoyed the activities in the desert like sliding, taking photos.

In the trip, I could see lots of statues and constructions formed in the natural environment. I couldn't realize how the people in the past could construct such grand buildings and features. That is why historians and architects would like to have historic preservation.

Besides a better understanding of the natural features, I learned much in the sharing from the S7 students. The most inspirational speech was from Kitty Chan. I totally agree that if we are passive, we may lose many chances. We must grasp the chance in front of us or we will regret. We should also treasure the support and encouragement from our friends and teachers in our school life.

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William Wu Wai Lam 4E This was my first time to go on field trip in my life. Also, it was my first time to go to Beijing, too! I was glad to have this chance to go to Inner Mongolia to have fruitful experience with my friends and teachers. Moreover, I have never lived and played happily with them for nine days! I really think that I had a deeper understanding of my teachers than before. They shared their past school life experience with us. At that time, I thought that they became my friends.

The most two tourist attractions which favor me a lot are Gegentala Grassland and Xiang Sha Wan. I had many remarkable memories with my friends. We played games and ran in the grassland.

Also, we took many photos of jumping on the grassland to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Besides the charming views, I found that commercialization was happening in Inner Mongolia. The artifacts with cultural or religious meaning are sought by tourists as souvenirs, which may lose their cultural meaning in mass production. It shows a negative side of tourism in Gegentala Grassland.

Moreover, visiting Xiang Sha Wan signified that it was my first time to go to a desert. I also took many photos and found that the sand is smaller and finer than Hong Kong’s. I played some exciting facilities arranged by the local people. I enjoyed them very much! However, Mr. Lui told me that desertification was serious in this place because this desert was nearby the urban area. It might cause air pollution to the nearby city and lower the visibility so as to affect the living condition of the citizens with the sand blowing to the city. Afforestation and control birth rate are the possible ways to prevent desertification.

Last but not least, I would like to thank Mr. Lui that he gave me a chance to join the field trip and arranged a nice combination of S4 and S7 students in the train.

S7 students took care of us very much!

They shared their studying experience to me and gave support to me on studying.

I think it was amazing that we became friends in this nine days trip. I hope that we also can keep in touch even they study in the university. I believe that I also have a chance to go to field trip again!

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Standing on the large piece of grassland, I felt that human being is really small being compared to the nature. I had a tranquil mood when listening to the natural sound. Living in Hong Kong which is regarded as a concrete forest, my living pressure can really be released after I arrived in Inner Mongolia.

developed already, and pollution problems have become more serious than before‌so we should protect the environment and prevent further pollution.

Milky Wong Yuet Yi 4E

Jacky Mak Ki Fung 6D Even though yurts were not very clean and comfortable, we could really experience the local living culture and felt warm when we were living inside yurts.

experience that a group of 60 schoolmates could enjoy the starry sky together.

Wincy Leung Wing Yan 5E

Hung Ling Pong 7B

Luckily, Inner Mongolia had not disappointed me with astonishing landscapes, not to mention the unique but simple culture, the dynamic activities and the stunning life experience on the boundless, wild, changeable grassland. It’s an only once in a lifetime

In Inner Mongolia, the sky is full of stars! I had never seen it in Hong Kong. Those views were very impressive and I realize how great the nature is. But I am quite worry that those views will disappear due to human activities after a few decades. The region has become commercialized and over-

I feel a bit disappointed as I think Inner Mongolia was affected by commercialization.

The Mongolians reconstructed some of the traditional yurts into new yurts which make the yurts more suitable for tourists to live, thus attracting more tourists and earning more profits. But tourists could not truly experience traditional Mongolian lives and on the other hand, these practices have resulted in the breakdown of local culture.

Katherine Sze Yuk Ping 4E Colorful wild flowers and flocks of sheep look like masses of cloud. Sunset and dawn on grassland like the natural magician. The

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Yurt we lived and cultural night make us feel we are the Mongolian.

In this Journey, we have visited desert, one of three extreme landscapes we studied including rainforest and polar area. Unluckily, I missed the chance of going to rainforest last year. Therefore, I determined to join the trip in order to get in touch with the environment. We have learnt the topology, climatic characteristics and city morphology of Inner Mongolia. Most of them can apply with what we learnt before.

Kelvin Mak Ki Fung 7B

splendid place. I have ridden on a camel in a desert, which is a kind of kind-hearted animals. This experience was extremely fantastic and interesting.

Leung Cheuk Wing 5E Visiting the Gegentala Grassland was undoubtedly the most unforgettable experience to me. Looking at the boundless sky decorated with tens or even hundreds of sparkling stars, I could deeply feel the great-

ness of the universe and the insignificance of me. I could never feel this before I really experienced it. And that's why i think we need not bother too much about the socalled 'problems' around us, as they may be trivial when you take a step back. Exposing ourselves to new things and stopping from bothering about the existing 'problems' will surely make our lives better. Also, we woke up so early to wait for the sunrise. When the sunlight appeared gradually from the clouds, we grinned and we knew it was worthwhile to wake up that early.

Tang Wing Nam 7B

The trip gave me a valuable chance to deepen what we have learnt in textbook. Visiting Baogang is one of the examples. I need not to rely on imagination, but learn from reality, such as the operation mode and working environment there, giving me a more remarkable impression.

Xiang Sha Wan is also a 84

In this trip, there were many visits and activities. For example, the Great Wall at Beijing, Baogang at Baoyou, Mengniu at Hohhot, star gazing and horse riding at Gegentala Grassland, sand sliding at Xiang Sha Wan, etc.

The most unforgettable was the dayin Gegentala Grassland. On that day, we watched the camp fire performance of the local people and had star gazing at night. The scenery of the lake at the center of the grassland was very stunning and there were many stars all over the sky at night. I have never seen so many stars in the sky at night which seems

to be so close to us. At night, we slept in a yurt which was the accommodation of the local Mongolians, it was better than what I had imagined before even though there were a lot of bugs.

Lastly, I want to say thank you to all teachers, especially Mr. Lui and Miss Kong because they taught us so much knowledge about Inner Mongolia.

Pang Yi Man 4E

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This is the first time I participated in an oversea field trip. Despite the fact that it was breathtaking and exhausting because of the long period of transportation, it gave me an unforgettable memory.

The most memorable moment in the field trip was the days spent on the Inner Mongolia prairie. At that time, we stayed in the traditional Mongolia’s architecture, yurt. Although there was no airconditioning nor comfortable beds, we could deeply realize their traditional customs. Also, we were given chances to ride horses, watch sunrise and enjoy many other amazing performances. I know I can hardly experience many of these items again, so it was a rare and great opportunity to widen my vision.

In the beginning of the trip, our group supervisor Mr. Ng asked for our expectations towards this field trip. I suggested that I would like to widen my vision and to know more information about Mainland, such as her development in industry and tourism. Upon completion of the trip, I could proudly say that I got my objectives achieved.

Furthermore, during the trip I could analyze various contemporary issues, like desertification of Inner Mongolia and rapid development of industry in Mainland China. Through listening to the tour guide’s introduction and discussions with groupmates, I learned more on critical analysis, e.g. from different perspectives, evaluating the pros and cons of an issue, etc. This added to what I benefited from the the trip, apart from the large amount of knowledge acquired. Finally, I felt extremely grateful to all of my teachers and schoolmates for giving me such a memorable journey.

Peter Pang 4B

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Although the trip made me tired, I do think that there were many pleasant and inspiring things when I observed carefully. The one impresses me most is the Great Wall. I think it’s one of the most spectacular historical heritage in China. But you can’t judge a book by its cover, once I climbed on it, my impression towards this site changed. Tourists and rubbish were omnipresent with the poor civility of the tourist. I even saw some tourist carving their name on the bricks and damaging the heritage beauty of this destination. It’s disappointing and made me feel distraught, as I couldn’t imagine that a beautiful, appealing destination could be destroyed and damaged by tourist misbehavior.

Other than sharing my comments about the scenic spot, I would like to talk about the lessons I learned in this trip. As itinerary of this trip is rather hard and complex, I become more tolerant because I confront and remove all the obstacles while staying outside Hong Kong. Besides, a worth-mentioning activity is the reflection sharing on the coach. The graduated secondary seven students’ commentaries were pregnant and meaningful. I learned many lessons when listening to their speech and they taught me much about life. Their life experiences are really great and they love, care and concern about the lower form students much. It’s so touching and I think again about of my experience.

All in all, this was a nice experience to me and this trip inspired me a lot.

Chiu Cheuk Lun 5E

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I recalled my similar experience when I was three years old. The most impressive activity in this trip was star gazing. This time, same as the last time, stars were very bright and the sky was really wide. It amazed me with the power of nature, as it was so beautiful and impressive. With the beautiful grassland and mild climate, it made this experience more memorable.

Moreover, the teacher-student relationship got closer and closer, we became more familiar with each other. Before this trip, I did not have a chance to know some teachers. During the trip, I found that they are actually very nice and cheerful. Such as Miss Ip and Mr. Chai, they are very funny, all the teachers care a lot about the personal growth of the students.

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PHOTO ALBUM The undulating lowland with green pasture and stark deserts of Inner Mongolia exert a special pull on our imagination. Ranging from dynamic sky with cumulus bubbling clouds to virtually empty landscapes, Inner Mongolia has left us with endless inspirations and extraordinary experiences.

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Sunset in Gegentala Grassland

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A desert expedition

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FIELD TRIP TO INNER MONGOLIA

Š CCSC Geography 2012 All articles are written by participants of the field trip to Inner Mongolia in 2012. xcix