SIX pupils from Katharine Lady Berkeley's School, Wotton-under-Edge, who won a national Mandarin Chinese speaking competition, have spent a wonderful seven days in Beijing as their prize.

Rhian Davies, Annie Watson, Rachel Caldwell, Emma Mullins, Kayla Garland and Ben Comber all had a very memorable trip.

For many of the group it was their first time in China and for one girl it was the first time she had flown. Each visitor kept a diary of the time in Beijing.

The group was excited when they finally arrived in China but very tired from the long journey.

Their hotel was right in the middle of Beijing, really beautiful and covered all over inside and out with Christmas decorations that made the pupils feel at home.

On the first day the group went shopping at a market near the hotel where they were able to buy such things as bags, watches, fans and rugs. This was their first taste of haggling, which was slightly daunting at first but very exciting.

The Forbidden City or Imperial Palace Museum impressed all the pupils - with beautiful buildings, extravagant and phenomenal attention to detail.

Every building had very intricate patterns along the walls and roofs, and the painting inside and out boasted extreme artistic talent.

It was also interesting seeing the way in which the Emperor would have lived. The group also visited the Temple of Heaven where the Emperor used to go to pray. The echo wall there was magnificent even though it didn't seem to work for the whole group.

The meals were interesting. "For dinner tonight we feasted at a restaurant, with live entertainment, on another gorgeous selection of Chinese food. It's amazing that you can get more and more different meals everywhere you go and it always tastes just as good", Rachel Caldwell wrote in her diary.

She added: "After we'd filled up on another great breakfast we made the journey to the Great Wall. It felt so surreal being there, because it's a place you always read about but you don't understand the enormity of it until you actually see it for real.

"The days were full of activity. After lunch we went to the Summer Palace which was beautiful and had the longest corridor in the world. The architecture is incredible. The buildings are beautifully painted in rich, bright colours it was a spectacular thing to see."

The visit to a high school proved interesting and unusual. "We were clapped when entering a classroom which was quite embarrassing. We also had to sing 'silent night' to a music class which was hilarious."

All members of the group reported the whole experience as brilliant. There was not one bit that was not thoroughly enjoyed.

Rachel said: "It has been a totally amazing and eye-opening experience for me. I have been to a country I have always dreamed of visiting. We have done so many activities, and each day has been jam-packed and highly enjoyable.

"I am so grateful to the British Council for organising the competition and trip and HSBC for sponsoring it. It's been a life-changing experience that I never will forget and I hope to visit China again some time in the near future. I have made a lot of new friends who are really great people and learned some more Chinese too."

Michelle Tate, head of Oriental languages at the school, said: "The children got so much from the visit, and to see them using their Chinese language was exhilarating. I'm proud of their achievements and so is the school."