Over the past few years, the Social Studies department at West Jessamine High School has collaborated with the University of Kentucky Confucius Institute to create an Asian Immersion field trip for students enrolled in AP World History. This past spring, one-hundred students spent the day at the University of Kentucky where they participated in several Asian immersion experiences, including a Tai Chi workshop led by Confucius Institute instructor Yufang Zhou.

After taking part in some warm-up exercises, Yufang led the students in the basics of Tai Chi and other martial arts. They learned the three basic hand positions, how and where to stand, and which types of weapons are used in martial arts. She modeled a routine, and the students followed her lead. To close her lesson, Yufang led them in Tai Chi exercises as soothing music played in the background. Because students were very tired by this point of the lesson, they learned to appreciate a style of martial arts that is calming and reflective. During the final few minutes, Yufang demonstrated Tai Chi with a sword, and several of the students volunteered to try using the sword, as well. The students were excited about what they had learned, and the possibility of another lesson in the next school year.