The 社会调查 is definitely HBA’s most distinctive feature. Acting as a buffer between the two “semesters” of the program, the social study trip gives us an opportunity to learn more about Chinese language and culture outside the classroom in a variety of settings. This year, the choices were Inner Mongolia, Huizhou, Shanghai, Xi’An, Shaolin, and Beijing. Due to the apparent novelty of the experience and my relative lack of knowledge on the region, I chose Inner Mongolia. Now that I am back in Beijing typing this reflection, I have to say that Inner Mongolia was not at all what I expected, in ways both good and bad. The way the trip was advertised to HBA students was one which would involve loads of time outdoors, being engaged in a plethora of activities from horseback riding to desert exploration. Students averse to “harsh living conditions” and lack of showers were warned against enrolling. To my dismay, I feel the trip was utterly misrepresented by HBA. While we did do all of the things that were listed on paper, I found the experiences themselves to be of a very watered-down, touristy nature. Let me preface the following by first remarking that everyone involved in planning the trip, from the HBA staff and teachers to the 东联旅游 tour company, were immensely accommodating and could not possibly have made the experience any better given the circumstances. That being said, there were three aspects of the trip that left me immensely disappointed:
1. The commercialization of the region. Perhaps I’m more sensitive to this than I should be. Perhaps this is a legitimate issue impacting China as a whole. Whatever the case, I felt like this trip was manicured in just about every regard. From the on-script tour guides to the “Inner Mongolian King” who just so happened to be on the CCP’s payroll, the “touristy” nature of the grasslands (which are often depicted as untouched and expansive) left me very unsatisfied. Every activity was initiated with a trip to the gift shop and every experience felt extremely superficial.
2. The superficiality of our “cultural exploration”. As American college students (and especially as Williams students), we are taught to probe into topics we encounter in our daily lives such as to understand the “whys” and hows”. With our specific tours here, there was a more clear emphasis placed on bombarding students with facts, dates, and stories of dubious historical accuracy. Afterward, we were shepherded to the next tour guide who picked up the script right where the last guide left off.
3. I became more acquainted with the inside of a tour bus than the Mongolian grasslands. For a lot of this trip, I felt breadth was prioritized over depth. Most activities felt to be more about getting the flavor of the experience rather than a proper taste. When we rode horses, it lasted all of five minutes and our local guides practically rushed us to get on and off so the next tour group could get their turn. When we rode camels, it was also for about 5 minutes in what can best be described as a patch of sand. Living inside an Inner Mongolia “Yurt” was more like living inside a modern 2 star hotel, albeit with slightly more bugs.
I don’t want to give off the impression that I did not enjoy Inner Mongolia at all. The scenery was unique and many of the people I had a chance to meet and interact with left a significant impression on me. Ironically, my favorite experiences in Inner Mongolia were not the grasslands or the deserts but rather than hours we had in local parks to wander off alone and converse with the locals. I feel that this trip tried really hard to give us as comprehensive an overview of Inner Mongolia in the limited time we had. While this is surely an admirable motive, I feel that I would’ve personally enjoyed the trip a lot more if it had less the feel of a domestic Chinese tour group and had given participants more liberty to pursue their interests. That being said, I respect the difficulty of arranging such a trip for 20+ students and am therefore infinitely grateful to the tour guides and HBA teachers for laboring day and night to make this trip as comfortable and rewarding as possible for us students.
So if you are a prospective HBA student reading this and considering 社会调查 destinations, I urge you to consider what you want out of the trip first before making your decision. If you’re looking for an outdoor adventure, go for Huizhou. History? Xi’An. Sports? Shaolin. City life? Shanghai. Relaxation? Beijing. Only select Inner Mongolia if you’re looking for a little bit everything and are willing to sacrifice some depth of experience for it. Also, all of the other places are easily accessible and navigable. After all, how many Americans do you know that have been to Inner Mongolia?