Culture Exchange Trips Make Hiking Accessible for Wudaokou's Student Population

Have you read about Beijing's best hiking spots but still don't know how to get out into the wilderness and are scared of the charges? 

Well, if you're student, then it's your lucky day because Culture Exchange Trips (CET) is here to help!

CET is the brainchild of a group of Chinese students at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) as a means to promote cultural exchange between themselves and their foreign counterparts. What better way to do that than by hiking together on affordable trips, snapping selfies together along the way, and making new friends.

Trips are available only to students, with departure points conveniently located at the south gates of UIBE and BLCU as well as in Liangmaqiao.

So far, CET has had up to 17,000 people participate in their trips and events, which include more than just hikes outside of Beijing. The team also offers trips to Shilinxia's Flying Saucer glass bridge or Gubei water town, and other attractions further afield like the Yungang Grottoes and Hanging Temple in Shanxi province, the four-day trip to Guilin or the five-day (free) trip to Zhangjiajie as a celebration for CET’s formal registration as a company.

If you want to go sightseeing on a budget then CET is for you, especially since trips outside Beijing include accomodation. To get started, all you have to do is add CET on WeChat (ID: Hiking-Bruce) to see dates of upcoming trips as well as detailed information on how to sign up. You can also email suede.hiking@foxmail.com with any questions that you may have.

Photos courtesy of CET