Charity Activities in China

Giving back to the Community

At Hutong School, we encourage our students to get involved in different philanthropic activities around Beijing and Shanghai. Whether it is teaching English at a school for migrant workers' children, planting a tree, or visiting an NGO, we hope students learn more about Chinese culture and want to become involved with the people.

Teaching English at a migrant school in north Beijing

Schools for children of migrant workers can be found all across the outskirts of Beijing. They are privately organised and funded by migrant workers trying to provide their children with the most basic education. Conditions at these schools are far from ideal due to a lack of funding. Unlike other state schools, these institutions are not recognised by the government and do not qualify for state support.

To help ease these pressures Hutong School organizes teaching excursions to one of these schools in the north of Beijing every other Sunday. Although the main goal of these excursions is to teach the children basic English, participants quickly realise that there is much more to this trip than just the study of grammar and vocabulary. What may start out as an interesting way to explore Beijing beyond the city centre oftentimes leads to a genuinely heart-warming experience where children and teachers alike join in game, song and dance… if possible in English. The real experience lies in understanding how much one can give with just a little bit of good intention.