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A Journey Through Shanghai's Cultural Heritage: Grade 12 Students Explored the City's Soul

June 4, 2025

At the end of May, Grade 12 students completed their graduation projects, with two groups opting for Chinese-themed research and transforming into cultural ambassadors for the city. One group traced the skyline of the Bund to decode the architectural DNA of Shanghai's iconic buildings. At the same time, the other followed the narrative of Blossoms Shanghai to uncover the vibrant life and flavors of Huanghe Road.




Both groups combined classroom study with immersive fieldwork. Before setting out, the students embarked on a journey through time in the classroom—through their teacher’s vivid presentations, the Art Deco-style Peace Hotel shimmered in projections. At the same time, the Renaissance-inspired former Shanghai Club embodied classical elegance. When they stepped into the cultural heart of Xujiahui, the stained glass of the Gothic Catholic Basilica transformed sunlight into hymns, the rustling ginkgo leaves in Xu Guangqi Park whispered tales of East-West exchange, and the pages of the Xujiahui Library pulsed with the essence of Shanghainese heritage.



The Blossoms group’s fieldwork was equally moving—they measured the passage of time on Huanghe Road through their taste buds. In the rich, savory flavors of traditional Shanghainese cuisine, they tasted the culinary memories of China’s reform and opening-up, while the aroma of coffee drifting from alleyways captured the rhythm of urban renewal. Every weathered doorplate became a living archive of the city, and every cry in the soft Wu dialect a walking testament to intangible cultural heritage.


This research journey, which extended from textbooks to the streets, was akin to a three-dimensional urban textbook. The Chinese faculty served as both a lens and a lantern, guiding students with scholarly insight and cultural passion to experience the actual texture of Shanghai. It is a city where the Bund’s chimes echo with frozen epics, while Huanghe Road hums with the ballad of everyday life. As book knowledge took root in real-world exploration, cultural confidence blossomed in these young minds.





(Written/Pictures by High School Chinese Department   Edited by Cody Turner   Reviewed by Qian Zuo)