Ningbo has a history of over 7000 years. The excavation of Hemudu Cultural Relics proved that Ningbo is one of the first places in the world of rice cultivation. Ningbo is also known as the “Hometown of Academicians”. In its long history, there were many scholars and politicians who had big influence to the development of Chinese culture and society. Wang Yangming is definitely a big name among them. He was a Chinese calligrapher, military general, writer and more importantly a philosopher. He is commonly regarded as the most important Neo-Confucian thinker, with interpretations of Confucianism that denied the rationalist dualism of the orthodox philosophy of Zhu Xi. Wang’s philosophy spread all over China for 150 years and greatly influenced Japanese thought during that time. He is regarded as one of the greatest Chinese thinkers in the last 2,000 years.

Students are impressed by the 7000 years of history and also the great thinking of Yangming. Khant Swe Hein, a Year 2 Civil Engineering student from Myanmar said “I have once again added another legendary character to my knowledge of Chinese history. Yangming has changed the logical thinking of people somehow and has also attracted people to adore him. Hemudu's excavation site has also allowed me to see the historic ruins of human and animal history before and after 4000 B.C. It was a really interesting trip and I'm looking forward to take part in more activities like this.”

Bryan Loo is an exchange student coming from our Malaysia Campus. He said “It gave me a deeper insight into the lives of the people who lived there in ancient times and how their culture and legacy is able to transcend time and have an impact in modern life.”

Deepesh Chathuranga Jayasekara from Sri Lanka is amazed by the Chinese history and culture and the whole breadth of Ningbo city. “I didn't expect it to be this big!!! So, thank you FoSE for arranging this day out!”