A group of Clovis Unified School District students skipped staying home and traveled overseas instead for a nine-day trip to China.

The group includes 10 students. Among them are Buchanan High School senior Linkin Phimphisane, and sophomore Matthew Maxon.

"We did a lot of sightseeing and we ate a lot of unique dishes," Phimphisane said.

All of the students on the trip have studied Chinese as a foreign language under teacher Lili Wong.

She said traveling to China gives students the chance to apply what they've learned in the classroom.

"They have to interact with the local people, just improve their pronunciation because they self pronounce - self correct - the pronunciations after hearing the local people," Wong said.

According to Wong, the experience immerses students in Chinese culture and history through travel, food and firsthand observation.

The group's itinerary includes visits to Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai, as well as well-known landmarks such as the Great Wall of China.

"Seeing it is like completely different than just like seeing maybe a picture or reading about it," Maxon said.

The trip holds special meaning for Linkin, who is traveling alongside his father and grandmother. His grandmother was born in Southeast Asia, but had never been to China.

"She lost all her heritage, so bringing her here for the first time was very eventful for her," Linkin said. "She gets to experience her roots, and I also get to to experience half of where I came from."

His father, Mike Phimphisane, said he was grateful his mother was able to make the journey.

"I'm actually happy that she gets to experience this," he said. "She's pretty old age, and she's able to walk and travel with us pretty well."

In addition to sightseeing, students, family members and teachers have participated in cultural activities, including a traditional tea ceremony and calligraphy.

"They're really learning some life-long experiences, and I hope this is an incentive to - a motivation for them to continue this language, learn more about the culture and to broaden their views about the world," Wong said.

The group is scheduled to travel to Shanghai on Friday, where they will visit one of the world's busiest shopping streets and the Shanghai Silk Museum before returning home Sunday.

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