This summer, 10 students and two faculty members are traveling to China to enhance their Chinese language skills while experiencing the country’s vast and diverse cultural landscape. Please enjoy this next blog post below from Oscar ’26, Cam ’28, Isaac ’27, and Emmanuel ’27 as they share about their day in Beijing at the Temple of Heaven and the Arts Museum where they decorated fans.
Oscar ’26: My favorite part of today was the Arts and Crafts Museum. The museum featured a variety of both modern and historical art pieces, and no matter the year they were curated, the exhibits were all equally mesmerizing. Although it took some effort to decipher the art descriptions, I thought the museum was a perfect example of both the differences and similarities between American and Chinese culture and arts.
Cam ’28: By the time we arrived at the Temple of Heaven, the sun was blazing overhead with temperatures in the high 90s. We passed through three security checkpoints before finally entering the main gate. The outer wall was a square, the shape the ancient Chinese thought the Earth to be, surrounding a circular stage of sorts, the shape of Heaven. We were told on certain occasions the emperor would stand in the center of the circle and give a speech. Then, we were given the opportunity to stand in that same spot and make wishes. After exploring the area a bit more, seeing other areas important in the preparation of the Temple’s ceremonies, we headed to lunch.
Isaac ’27: We made traditional fans, which was really fun. We each chose different watercolors and made designs with different objects, and it really displayed everybody’s artistic talent and creativity. Even when mistakes were made, they could easily be corrected, and it was a really nice time for all of us.
Emmanuel ’27: In the evening, we had a dinner with two Deerfield alums and a board of trustee member, Jack Chen and Oliver Barron. While the dinner started off a bit awkward, it quickly blasted off into a conversation with what felt like lifelong friends. The dinner even morphed into reminiscing about our time at Deerfield, as there was also an incoming Deerfield freshman, David, who joined us at the dinner, along with Tommy Li, a rising sophomore. We all shared stories, some laughter, and even ended the dinner by singing the Deerfield Evensong. It was quite the dinner, indeed.
