“The spring sunshine cares for and graces all, and everything glitters with vigor and vitality”. On a sunny spring morning, the faculty and staff of the School of Foreign Languages (SFL) and their families set out on a spring excursion organized by the Labour Union. The theme for the spring outing was “The Youthful life, full of energy and health, returning to nature to scale the peak”, and over 120 people made the excursion.
At 8:00 a.m. on April. 12th, all the participants cheerfully headed to the back of Qingcheng Mountain. En route to the destination, the buses were filled with cheers and laughter as the Labor Union had arranged a host for each bus. Lively discussions and performances were organized to further communication and understanding amongst the passengers, and the children got excited and sang songs along the way which brought joy to the ride. When the buses climbed into the mountains overgrown with green grass, tiny sprouts, peach and pear blossoms, everyone felt close to nature and had expectations of more to come from the approaching mountain climb.
The starting point for this climb was in the ancient town of Tai’an. Yang Anwen, Assistant Dean and Chairman of the Labor Union, introduced the climbing route and revealed the awards and incentives for this activity. After a simple lunch of authentic mountain food, the spring mountain climb began. Led by the Dean, Mr. Wang Weimin, Party Secretary General Xu Ge, Deputy Party Secretary General, Ren Xinhong, and the other leaders of our School, the joyful crowd eagerly threw themselves into the mountain climb.
Away from the city’s hustle and bustle, the monotonous concrete buildings, and its annoying haze, the teachers and their families all took in deep breaths and filled their lungs with the fresh Spring air and reached out and touched the soothing green foliage around them. On the way to the top, mountain streams flowed between rough rocks, white clouds drifted in the blue sky, green peaks and steep cliffs stood loftily in the distance, and it seemed that everything was under foot. Buzzing beetles and chirping birds enlivened the pathway, and along the steps were vibrant trees, green grass, showy flowers, pretty waterfalls and tranquil creeks, which fascinated everyone. Some teachers tried their best to take the lead, some took photos of the spring scenery, some helped the old and the young, some just walked in a leisurely manner, and some climbed alone to keep the scenes for themselves. They almost managed to form a line on the narrow path, whilst many stopped for a rest, or took advantage of passing streams to play with the water and experience nature’s coolness. Thanks to its cobblestones and sand, the back of Mount Qingcheng is endowed with various impressive landscapes. Quite a few posed for photos of this rewarding trip. Soon the seemingly steep and long mountain path came to the end and the peak was close at hand. Everybody started to accelerate their paces and turned to cheerful talk and laughter. At the finishing point, the Labor Union honored the first six families and individuals to arrive with their “Scale New Heights” award, and gave out prizes and incentives to the first twenty teachers .
“Scale New Heights” Award Winners (the First 6 Families)
“Scale New Heights” Award Winners (the First 6 Participants)
Several Incentive Award Winners
All the participants made their way home at 4:00 p.m. On the bus, everyone expressed satisfaction and praised the organizer – the Labour Union of the School of Foreign Languages – for their thoughtful planning and considerate arrangements for this excursion. The spring outing, which involved staff and their families, gave everyone the opportunity to better understand each other and to strengthen the bonds between them. In addition, all enjoyed the trip to the back of Qingcheng Mountain for they truly felt youthful, energetic and healthy in all the abundant spring greenery and fresh air.