Outdoor Education in China, Hong Kong & Asia

Group photo, trekking in Yunnan, lashi hai

Start your journey here

Yangshuo, treasure cave, Tyrollean traverse, Karsts, China

What is Outdoor Education?

From Dr. Roger Greenaway:
“Outdoor Learning is a broad term that includes: outdoor play in the early years, school grounds projects, environmental education, recreational and adventure activities, personal and social development programmes, expeditions, team building, leadership training, management development, education for sustainability, adventure therapy and more. Outdoor Learning does not have a clearly defined boundary but it does have a common core.”

We believe in the power of outdoor education in China, and aim to exceed the highest industry standards when it comes to bringing these experiences to life.

night time search and rescue training, Shangrila, Niru, 4000m

Definition

Outdoor education China -

Put simply, it's “organised learning that takes place in the outdoors”.

This could include:

Canoeing
Rock Climbing
Trekking

“Outdoor education draws upon the philosophy, theory, and practices of experiential education and environmental education.”

We have a wide range of activities in China that vary based on the location of your choice.

When & Where?

When did western style outdoor education first arrive in China?
Probably the first arrival of an outdoor education training centre was Hong Kong Outward Bound in 1970.

What locations are good for outdoor education in China?
China is a vast country with a wide range of landscapes and topography’s, from the humid subtropic’s in the south to the Taklamakan desert in the north west, from the soaring peaks of the Himalaya to the rice fields of central china there is a wealth of outdoor environments to choose from. Programmes close to home and far a field are possible with great locations within a few hours drive from Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Hong Kong and many other cities. Visit our locations page to learn more about our outdoor education in China.

Why Outdoor Education?

Why outdoor education?

Young people growing up in this part of the world have a high pressure school system with an emphasis on classroom learning and exams. Although the classroom is and always will be the backbone of school education, its critical to engage students with real world experiences to build well-rounded members of society. As we discussed above, our outdoor education in China is a term covering many types of adventure and outdoor provision.

Many people are familiar with the terms experiential education, and environmental education. Experiential education as defined by the Association for Experiential Education is:
“a philosophy that informs many methodologies in which educators purposefully engage with learners in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills, clarify values, and develop people's capacity to contribute to their communities.” www.aee.org

The best environments for experiential learning often involve venturing outside the walls of the classroom and using the wilderness to provide some of the most memorable and stimulating learning opportunities for students.

Environmental Education (as its name implies) aims to educate people about our natural environments. This again ties in perfectly with outdoor education; where learning about the environment is the goal and conducting structured learning in the outdoors (outdoor education) provide the necessary catalyst tying facts to real world experiences.

But why stop there? Let's tie the outdoors, education and experiential education together with the beautiful natural landscapes available in China.

At Zen Quest Adventures we like to refer to this as holistic outdoor education or 'holistic education', a truly multifarious approach. We strive to get students involved in programmes before they arrive by putting them in touch directly with local people to arrange their service projects. We also do our best to ensure follow up on their learning when they return to school.

Schools programmes

Schools programmes