As a Chinese-Canadian parent, I want my children to have an appreciation for their heritage and culture. To do that, I believe the best way is to travel with kids and take advantage of extended family members who can teach them about the Chinese culture.
With the help of these experiences, I'm sure my kids will grow to love their heritage and be able to learn more about it. Family travel provides us with a unique opportunity to explore our cultural roots while being surrounded by people we know and trust; this makes learning fun as well as informative!
By leveraging extended family members in places like China or Hong Kong we can also ensure that our children get exposure not just from books but also from real-life experiences.
I recently have the honour to be interviewed by Grace & Bei from Our Chinese & English Journey Podcast about cultivating Chinese interest through Family travels. It was my first podcast interview and you can definitely sense my anxiousness.
However, I’m excited to share my travel experience with my family to Asia when my daughter was 1.5 and 3 years old.
My Background
I was born in Hong Kong and moved to Canada when I was 7 years old. I am fluent in Cantonese Chinese, and my reading and writing skills are at an intermediate level.
My husband and I have two children, one is currently 6 years old and the other is 3 years old.
What Type of Education Do We Use to Teach Chinese to the Kids?
Due to COVID, I homeschooled my children for 18 months while on maternity leave with my son (I was granted 18 months off under Canadian law). During this time, I supported my child in learning the Chinese language through reading and different activities.
Since I have resumed my full-time job, my children are attending Chinese school for only three hours every Saturday, which is making me worried whether it is enough for them.
Although I have a full-time job, I ensure that my children continue to learn Cantonese at home by speaking it, reading Chinese books, playing Chinese games and activities, playing Cantonese apps and podcasts, watching Cantonese TV, and more.
My main goal is to keep them interested and motivated to learn, as I believe this is vital for their educational success.
To maintain their Cantonese skills, I encourage my family to speak Cantonese at home on a daily basis, as they mainly communicate in English at school or with friends. Additionally, when my kids visit extended family members, I leverage these opportunities for them to practice Cantonese, which has proven more effective than me trying to teach them.
Read More: About Me & The Story of Edkids Home
My Daughter's First Travel to Hong Kong
In 2017, my daughter, who was 1.5 years old at the time, made her first visit to Asia in Hong Kong. Although it was tiring for us due to jet lag and numerous dinner events to attend, she had a great time.
During our family trip to Hong Kong, we enjoyed gathering at homes or restaurants with relatives and friends to experience various cuisines.
She had enough time to develop bonding times with her great-grandmother, cousins, and other relatives during our 3-weeks stay.
It was wonderful to see so many groups of relatives full of warmth and happiness. My daughter received a lot of attention and now o she is not shy around people anymore.
We borrowed a stroller from a friend, but we didn't use it much because there were many stairs and the restaurants were very small. Instead, we carried her in a carrier the whole time.
Bottom Line:
Our first trip to Hong Kong was mainly getting our daughter to know her relatives and learn about the history of my hometown.
Our Second Trip with Kids to China
In 2018, my husband, 3-years-old daughter, and I travelled to Shanghai and Yangzhou in Asia with some of my husband's extended family. The group included his 97-year-old grandmother, aunts, and mother.
We went on a vacation for three weeks at the end of October, during which was the quieter season, meaning there weren't many people around. The trip was quite memorable as we travelled together in a large group. We all take turns pushing both the stroller for my daughter and the wheelchair for my grandma-in-law.
Authentic Chinese Food
She had a lot of opportunities to try authentic food. The variety of food was incredible, with many dishes I had never even heard of before. The dumplings and buns were particularly delicious and authentic. We were lucky enough to receive an abundance of hairy crabs from family members in Shanghai while they were in season, and they were extremely fresh and tasted amazing.
Travel With Kids & Seniors – Relaxing Itinerary
When travelling with a group of seniors, it's best to plan a leisurely schedule that allows for returning to the hotel by 6 pm and having takeout for dinner. This way, everyone can have plenty of time to rest and enjoy the trip. This itinerary also works well for our 3-year-old daughter. It's a win-win situation!
Great Bonds with Seniors
Prior to COVID, my aunts-in-law, mother-in-law, and grandmother-in-law used to visit Shanghai every year. My grandma-in-law's hometown in Yangzhou. My daughter, who is now 6, remembers the trip vividly. Thanks to her close relationship with her grand aunts, great-grandma, and grandma (whom she sees once a week), they still reminisce about their travel experience from the trip until now.
It's great travelling with the seniors because they offer a different perspective on the places we visited, adding depth and meaning to the trip. Also, they will share their stories and experiences about their hometown that can be passed down through generations.
Our second trip was less stressful because our child was older and we received more assistance during this travel.
Bottom Line:
Our second trip was travelling with our relatives (seniors) from Canada to China, which gives us a lot of advantages from getting additional help to understand more about Shanghai from their stories.
Visiting Hometown as a Parent
Returning to my hometown as a parent feels different because I am no longer as carefree.
It's a unique experience to visit my Hong Kong relatives now because so many families have expanded with the addition of children.
Additionally, I'm grappling with the challenge of learning proper titles for all of my relatives, including cousins, aunts, and uncles. I just found out from Bei that there's an app to look up how to call your relatives by different names called 老表你好 – 三姑六婆亲戚称呼计算器 (Apple / Android)
One major difference is that we can't go out late at night with friends because we need to help our daughter adjust to the time difference and put her to bed.
What Does Our Daughter Love the Most About the Asia Travels?
Based on my observation, it seems like she really enjoys going out. Every morning, she excitedly says “街街” which means “going out” and loves to explore the city with us.
She finds everything fascinating – from the busy streets to the street cars and traffic lights. As opposed to Canada, Hong Kongers usually walk to bus or train stations than drive.
Next Asia Travel With Kids & Grandparents
My mother-in-law expressed her desire to take her grandchildren on a trip with her and my father-in-law. She believes 6 years old is the best age for children to remember a trip forever and travel without parents. They will be away for a whole month in April, causing my daughter to miss school.
My husband and I took some time to consider, but ultimately, I see many benefits to this decision. The teachers reassured me that my daughter wouldn't fall behind in school, which immediately relieved my worries.
She will gain a deeper appreciation of Chinese culture if she travels to Asia. This is crucial for achieving fluency in Chinese. Additionally, she will have the opportunity to visit Singapore and Malaysia, in addition to Hong Kong.
Stay tuned for a future post about this trip!
Did the Travelling with Kids Have Any Impact on Chinese Learning?
The last time she went to Asia, she was 1.5 and 3 years old. She only knew Cantonese then. It is hard to know if this affected her Chinese language learning.
However, since starting school, she has been exposed to English much more, allowing me to constantly remind her to speak Cantonese at home.
Nonetheless, I think her Asia trips greatly increased her motivation to learn Chinese and its culture, which accelerates her progress.
To conclude, it does make an impact but in the long run in terms of learning Chinese.
Travel with Kids: Tips/ Recommendations
Here are some tips/recommendations:
- Plan the Interinary with your kids when it comes to travelling so they know what to expect
- I would give her a notebook which has the itinerary, calendar and journal for her to record
- Get over jet lag as soon as possible
Here are some blog posts related to travelling with kids:
More From This Interview
You can check out more about this podcast interview from Our Chinese & English Journey interviewed by Grace & Bei. After you tune into this episode, be sure comment below to let me know your thoughts and whether if you plan to travel to Asia with your family this year!
