[June 29-July 2] Chongming Island Summer Camp (Ages 8-10)
Chongming is China’s third largest island and is truly one of Shanghai’s last great outdoor escapes. Crossing the bridge over the Yangtze river, life suddenly slows from the hustle and bustle of modern Shanghai.
Here, campers will spend an action-packed 4 days engaging with various wetlands such as Dongtan National Wetlands Park and Mingzhu Lake, camp and BBQ under the stars, visit a local farm for harvesting fruit and veggies and making local-style Chongming cakes, fish and birdwatch at an eco-village, compete in fun team-building activities, and enjoy the natural beauty of Chongming Island.
Dongtan Wetlands
On Chongming’s farthest eastern reach lies Dongtan National Wetlands Park. This section of the island and it’s surrounding tidal mudflats are home to an internationally recognized wetland and a protected nature reserve. Campers will explore these wetlands, witnessing Chongming Island’s unique wildlife and fragile ecosystem, while learning what they can do to protect this and other important wetlands.
Camping and s’mores
When was the last time you slept under the beautiful night sky? We’ll set up our tents at our private campsite, and round off our day with a BBQ, bonfire, and roasted marshmallows, falling asleep under the stars.
Camp Cooking
An invaluable (and fun!) part of every camping experience, we’ll round out our trip with a camp cooking dinner activity in small groups. Campers will learn to prep their ingredients and work together to cook up a tasty feast! Who will be crowned the Master Chef?
Lawn Games
Stretching out on the beautiful green grasses, teams will compete in a series of hilarious challenges and interactive games, to build bonds, seek challenge and have some fun! Each rotation will offer a different physical or mental challenge, guaranteed to stimulate both athletes and non-athletes alike in these grass based Olympics.
Eco-Village
Experience life in a small eco village. Explore where our food comes from as we learn how to catch, scale, and clean fish, before they are cooked up for lunch! Paint your own flower pot and take your very own mini garden home with you. Get your adventurer’s hat on as we explore and identify local bird and animal species!
Harvesting and Hands-on Fun at “Nong Jia Le”
Nong Jia Le translates to “farmer’s happiness” in Chinese. We will visit a local farm-stay where we will learn local farming techniques and get to put them into practice, pick fresh seasonal fruit, and get to try our hands at making traditional Chongming rice cakes! We will also have the chance to eat a delicious locally-sourced meal at our farm-stay.
Monday, June 29
Morning
• Early meet up at central pick-up location in Shanghai
• Morning bus from Shanghai to Chongming Island
• Introduction to Chongming Island, ice breaker games
Afternoon
• Lunch
• Transfer to Dongtan Wetlands
• Dongtan Wetlands guided nature walk and exploration
• Lawn Games on the green
Evening
• Transfer to hotel, check-in
• Dinner
Tuesday, June 30
Morning
• Breakfast
• Transfer to Eco-Village
• Village Rotations: Fishing, Personal Pot Painting, and Adventure Time: Critter Identification and Bird Scouting
• Transfer to farm-stay
Afternoon
• Lunch at farm-stay
• Farm-stay Rotations: Farming, taro harvesting, and Chongming Cake-making
• Transfer back to hotel
Evening
• BBQ Party
Wednesday, July 1
Morning
• Breakfast
• Transfer to Mingzhu Lake
• Mindfulness walk: My part in Conservation
• The Great Chongming Island Goose Show
• Lakeside Sketching Activity
• Transfer to lunch restaurant
Afternoon
• Waterside Lunch
• Camp skills and tent set-up
• Campsite Survey
• Prepare for dinner
Evening
• Camp Cooking DIY Dinner
• Clean up and Camp Stories
Thursday, July 2
Morning
• Wake up and Pack-up tents
• Cowboy Breakfast + Clean-up
• Citrus fruit picking
• Final reflections
• Transfer to lunch restaurant
Afternoon
• Lunch
• Return bus transfer to Shanghai, drop-off at central location
The Hutong is a truly global team, but we all share something in common: we are obsessed with Chinese culture and passionate about sharing it with our clients.
Meet some members of our team!
Ian
Although he studied Biology in college, Ian pursued his love of culture and people by moving from the U.S. to China after graduation. When he’s not singing or hiking, he’s exploring Shanghai.
Jiajia
Alex
Coming from the U.S., over the years Alex has lived in Chengdu, Harbin, Hangzhou, and Shanghai, so it’s no surprise he speaks impeccable Mandarin. Alex supports our Shanghai area schools.
Sean
Sean grew up in the mountains of North Carolina and is a lifelong outdoors enthusiast. He fell in love with China when he moved to Beijing to as a high school senior, and has never looked back.
DATES:
June 29 - July 2
(Monday - Thursday)
AGE GROUP:
Ages 8 to 10
REGISTRATION LINK
https://yoopay.cn/event/89632823
REGISTRATION DUE DATE:
June 22, 2020
PRICE* :
4,635 RMB; per participant.
*Price includes 3% Yoopay processing fee.
DIFFICULTY LEVEL:
Easy
ACCOMMODATION:
Hotel (2 nights),
Camping (1 night) – twin share
Scan the QR code to register.
→
Price Coverage
• Bus transportation to/from a central pick-up and drop-off location in the city
• First-aid trained Hutong guides and facilitators (1 guide for every 5-6 participants)
• All meals (as indicated in itinerary), snacks, and drinking water
• Accommodation each night
• All activity and entrance fees
• Basic travel liability insurance
Registration & Payment
It’s easy - simply scan the QR code above to sign up and submit payment over the YooPay system. YooPay accepts UnionPay, WeChat, and Alipay. If you require a different form of payment let us know by email at education@thehutong.com. Please note there is a 3% non-refundable booking fee that YooPay charges for its services. Following registration and payment, you will receive a confirmation email from us – and you’ll be ready to go!
Cancellation Policy
We request full payment to secure the booking, with free cancellation up to 7 days prior to the trip start date. For cancellation within 7 days we request a 50% cancellation fee to help defer our booking costs. Unfortunately we are unable to offer a refund for cancellations within 72 hours. Any Refund will exclude YooPay transaction fees.
What if local policies or government regulations change prior to the trip and it needs to be canceled?
We are keeping a close eye on how the evolving situation with COVID-19 is impacting local government regulations with travel and accommodation. Should our trip need to be cancelled due to changing restrictions, we will offer a full refund to all participants (less a 3% refund fee incurred by YooPay). We will keep parents and participants updated on the situation in the lead-up to the trip.
Health & Safety
How are you managing the potential risk with COVID-19?
We are taking a two-pronged approach to mitigating the risk posed by COVID-19. First, and most importantly, we are implementing a thorough pre-camp screening policy, to verify that all attending participants, staff and local partners are not considered at risk of having contracted COVID-19. As a part of this, all participants will be required to fill out a health waiver, which will be sent in advance of the trip, along with additional supporting documentation. Second, while on program, we are instituting a number of hygiene, activity facilitation and training measures aimed at limiting any chance of contagion. To request a more detailed policy, please get in touch with us at education@thehutong.com and we would be happy to provide more information.
What is your health and safety policy?
We are continuously communicating, updating and assessing our risk management procedures in order to provide an exceptional and adventurous experience in a safe environment. We also take a dynamic approach to safety and are continuously analyzing and evaluating our protocols to keep pace with the industry’s highest standards. All of our guides have First Aid training, in many cases Wilderness Advanced First Aid certification, and will have undergone numerous internal trainings.
Do you provide travel medical insurance?
As a licensed travel operator, we provide standard liability insurance as required by Chinese law. As this insurance is quite basic, we require all trip participants to have their own medical insurance should an emergency situation arise.
The Hutong creates unforgettable travel experiences throughout China for students (and adults!) from international schools around the world. Since 2009, we have been running educational programs to off-the-beaten-track destinations across China: from the rainforests of southern Yunnan to the grasslands of the Mongolian steppe, all of our programs are meticulously researched and planned to optimize student learning and to offer fun, innovative, and immersive experiences.
As well as being a licensed travel operator across Greater China, The Hutong is at heart a transformative education company. We partner with leading schools to build programs that incorporate learning objectives and life skills, all the while maintaining absolute professionalism, and an impeccable safety record. From our team of international educators to our travel specialists, each and every Hutonger shares a passion for providing exceptional learning experiences.
Visit us online: https://education.thehutong.com
Forever Learning - We integrate China into your curriculum in ways that are thought-provoking and inspiring.
Responsible & Safe - We are long-established China-based professionals with exemplary safety standards.
China Insiders - Our fun-loving global team are long-term China residents, with many former educators among us.
Don’t just take our word for it
We have been running innovative, custom crafted educational tours since 2009 with responsible professionalism, and while maintaining an exemplary safety record. We encourage all new partners to contact references for an objective perspective on their experiences with The Hutong. We partner with leading international schools across China (and beyond!), including:
Reach out to us at education@thehutong.com to plan a private group program.
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