Ben Zeng, GMBA Class of 2017

On April 16, 2016, a perfect day for outdoor activities, we organized a tree planting event in Huairou (怀柔) where both GMBA Class of 2017 and 2018 had a chance to spend the weekend in the countryside with their family and mingle with classmates at the same time. It was a great chance to take a break from the busy workload of the second semester and enjoy the early summer breeze.

Global MBA students and families join tree-planting activities in Huairou.

After driving for an hour north of the Tsinghua campus, we arrived at the tree-planting site where parents get to plant a tree with their children and teach them the importance of preserving the nature for future generations. Such events do not only shape the values for the children in their early years, but also an enjoyable experience for the adults to remind ourselves of the significance of the environment.

Global MBA students and families enjoy a leisurely hike to nearby Hong Luo Si temple.

In the afternoon, we hiked up the Hong Luo Si (红螺寺) temple nearby. Hong Luo Si, one of the historic temples well preserved in Beijing, is known to bring love ones together. The temple was first built in 338 A.D. and served as the royal temple during the Yuan Dynasty when the Mongols ruled the whole of China. Hong Luo Si is now a tourist attraction where people would do a 60-minute hike to visit the Buddha sculptures for blessings. During the hike, one can oversee Beijing on the elevated slopes. At the end of the tour, the temple offers a roller-coaster cart, which is an alternative way of getting off the mountain, that took us down within a few minutes. With the blessing that we remain strongly connected outside of campus, we wrapped up the day with a group photo in front of the main entrance.