Lesson Plan: Sightseeing In Yangshuo

Lesson Level:  Senior                      Duration:  45 Minutes

Lesson Title:     Visiting Yangshuo

Grammar and Vocabulary

Descriptions of Tourist Sites in Yangshou.

Language for making plans.

Lesson Objectives

Students will be able to hold a discussion on options for a sightseeing trip and make plans together based on those options. 

Materials Required

Note: This lesson is based on materials from the book Travelling Around Yangshuo which is only available at Yangshuo Middle School. Other materials may be substituted for other locations.

Preparation

Prepare and copy sheets of notes about various Yangshuo tourist sites.¹

Prepare questions for a quiz based on the notes.²

Procedure

1 Write “Sightseeing in Yangshuo” as the title on the board.

Brainstorm what things there are to see and do in Yangshuo. Write a list (without any details on the board.)

Put students into teams of six.

2

Tell students there will be a quiz about Yangshuo.

Tell them to write the answers to the twelve questions in the Quiz.

Ask the questions.

Allow each group time to discuss each answer and write it down.

3

Hand out the descriptions. Tell students all the answers are on the paper. Give studenbts five minutes to find all the answers and check how many they had right.

Go through the answers (write them on the board.

Ask groups for their scores.

Applaud the winners.

4 

Give these instructions verbally and on the board.

Your group are all on holiday together.

You have been to a travel agent and found all the information about things to see and do in Yangshuo.

You must plan one week of activities together.

For each day (Monday to Sunday) you need to answer these questions

-where will you go?

-why did you choose to do that?

-what will you do if the weather is bad?

-what time will you go?

-will you need a local guide?

-how will you get there?

   what times will yo go and return?

   what will you eat and drink?

Everyone in the group should say where he/she wants to go.

At the end of the activity you must have

-a plan for every day.

-a reason for every trip.

-details of the places you are going.

-

Use ALL OF THE INFORMATION FROM the lesson to help you make a plan.

ALL DISCUSSION SHOULD BE IN ENGLISH

5.

Monitor during the activity, helping if necessary.

At the end of the activity ask questions from each group to obtain some feedback.

Notes

1.

Some things to see and do in Yangshuo: Check your answers to the quiz. How many did you score?

West Street

West street is the oldest street in Yangshuo with a history of more than 1,400 years. It is 517 metres long and packed with well preserved ancient buildings. Although the ground floors have all been turned into a wide variety of shops, restaurants and bars if you look up you can still see the ancient construction. It is extremely popular with tourists from all over the world. Sometimes they outnumber local Chinese people.

At the South-West end of the street there is a big new shopping mall which opened on Christmas Eve 2016 and where you can find lots of new shops and places to eat.

Nine-Horse Fresco Hill

This famous hill faces the Li River and is said to resemble nine horses standing, lying, running, jumping and drinking the water from the river. You can take a boat to the hill from Xing Ping. It is located near to the Huashan village and has five distinct peaks. The boat ride along the river takes you through some of China’s most beautiful scenery - a scene from which has been used on the back of the 20 RMB note.

The Li River

The Li River is called the Mother River of Guilin. It is 437 kilometres long and winds through some breathtaking scenery especially between Guilin and Yangshuo. There are many ways to see the river, cycling along the nearby paths, taking a long relaxing boat ride or simply sitting in the sunshine and watching the world drift by.

The Assembling Dragon Cave

This interesting feature of Yangshuo can be found near to both the Big Banyan Tree and Moon Hill. You begin your exploration with a short boat ride into the cave and then, on foot, you can wander through about one kilometre of stalactites and stalagmites which have all been imaginatively lit. Many rocks have been given names based on their shapes such as the Stone Forest or the Crystal Palace. I t will take between half an hour and an hour to see it all.

The Impression Liu Sanjie

Almost all tourists go to visit the large performance called The Impression Liu Sanjie. It is a colourful show of music and dance that takes place on the river near to Yangshuo. The show lasts for seventy minutes and features around six hundred performers. It is a spectacular show which lights up the sky for many miles around.

Moon Hill

The well-known Moon Hill is located about 8 kilometres south of Yangshuo. It has a natural arch which changes shape depending on where you stand to look at it - a full moon, a half moon or even a crescent moon. The hill is 230 metres high and the arch itself is about 50 metres.

Shangri-La

Shangri-La is a well known tourist attraction to the north of Yangshuo. It is based on the book “Land of Peach Blossoms” from the Jin Dynasty. Here you can take a leisurely boat trip to see what China was like many many years ago. It is a 16 kilometre bus ride from Yangshuo and is near to the town of Baisha. The park buildings are in the style of the Miao and Dong minorities,

Big Banyan Tree

The Big Banyan Tree is located in a park at the town of Gaotian which is 6 kilometres from Yangshuo. It has survived since the Sui Dynasty and is about 1400 years old. The Chinese film “Liu Sanjie”, a beautiful love story, made the tree even more famous.

2.

Questions for the Yangshuo Quiz

1. How long, in metres is West Street? (517 accept from 505 to 525)

2. When did the new shopping mall open (which month)? (December 2016)

3. On the famous hill on the Li River, how many horses are you supposed to be able to count? (9)

4. Which banknote has a picture of the river near to this hill on the back? (20 RMB)

5. How long is the Assembling Dragon Cave? (About one kilometre.)

6. Which other two tourist attractions are nearby? (Moon Hill and the Banyan Tree)

7. How far from Yangshuo is the tourist attraction called Shangri-La? (16 km - accept 14-18)

8. Which is the nearest town to Shangri La? (Baisha)

9. The buildings in Shangri-La are mainly in the style of which two minorities? (Miao and Dong)

10. Which town is nearest to the Big Banyan Tree? (Gaotian)

11. How far from Yangshuo is the Big Banyan Tree? (6km Accept 5-7)

12. What kind of film made the Banyan Tree even more famous? (A Love story.)