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Rural YunnanWinter SchoolSociety, Psychology & Economics
An interdisciplinary field research programme on tea, coffee and rural life. Meet the people who grow Yunnan’s tea and coffee, and investigate how their work connects with what we choose to buy.
Language of Instruction: Mandarin Chinese
- FIELDWORK DATES (PROVISIONAL)
- 29 Jan – 3 Feb 2027
- FIELDWORK DURATION
- 6 days / 5 nights
- LOCATION
- Jingdong · Pu’er, Yunnan
- AGE GROUP
- Ages 15–18
- PLANNED GROUP SIZE
- 8–12 students
Tea, coffee and rural livelihoods
When we buy a cup of coffee, we notice its taste, price and packaging. But what does the same cup mean to the farmers who grow the beans?
In Jingdong, in Yunnan’s Pu’er region, you’ll bring together the experiences of consumers, growers and sellers to investigate choices, work and local life through tea and coffee. Your group will pursue a specific question through interviews and observation. After the visit, you’ll analyse your material, discuss relevant reading and write a short research paper with mentor guidance.
Students work in three small groups, with academic mentors, residential staff and local coordinators supporting research and day-to-day activities.
The Qianli Project: a look back
1:49See students on field visits and in discussion during a previous Qianli Project. The film is in Mandarin Chinese.
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Society
Consider how families share farm work, welcome guests and support their neighbours. Interviews with local residents will help you understand how changes in the tea and coffee industries affect village life.
Psychology
Why do we choose one drink over another? Examine how a product’s origin, brand and the setting in which we drink it influence what tastes good and feels worth paying for.
Economics
Study how buying and selling link urban demand with rural production and what changing expectations of quality mean for farmers’ work, skills and products.
From questions to fieldwork
Each group investigates a focused question. Mentors guide you through interviewing, analysing material and writing, with support for different levels of experience. Students who have already studied research design can develop their skills in analysis, discussion of literature and research writing.
You might explore quality, consumer choices, changing markets, production and labour, or local life. This example suggests a direction for enquiry; it does not assume what you will find.
Interviews and observation
Practise semi-structured interviews before departure, then use your questions to follow up in Yunnan. Record participants’ words as well as details of work and daily life, and keep the interview and field notes you will need later.
Comparing material and identifying themes
After the visit, organise the urban interviews and Yunnan field notes. Compare accounts from consumers, growers and sellers, looking for themes, differences and exceptions. Use relevant reading and distinguish recorded evidence from your own interpretation.
Writing and revising after fieldwork
With mentor guidance, build an analysis supported by interviews, observations and relevant literature, then draft, present and revise your paper. Interview participants may clarify production details and interview records; mentors guide the analysis and argument.
Two weeks to prepare for fieldwork
15–28 January 2027
Complete two interviews with urban tea or coffee consumers, join two online workshops and work through selected reading provided by your mentors. Wherever possible, reading, question development and interview preparation are integrated into the workshops, helping your group define its question and prepare an interview guide for Yunnan.
What you prepare: a brief research plan and your consumer interview material. Allow approximately six to eight hours in total, with tasks kept manageable for upper-secondary students. Students outside Shanghai can conduct interviews remotely.
Six days in rural Yunnan
The six days and five nights are the in-person fieldwork stage. Focus on interviews, observation, conversations and local life, with short daily discussions of discoveries, differing views and follow-up questions. Sustained analysis, paper writing and the formal research presentation take place after the visit.
Arrival and first discussions
Arrive in Jingdong, share the findings from your consumer interviews and agree on the questions and roles for your group’s fieldwork.
Coffee production and a family New Year feast
See how coffee is grown and how freshly picked cherries are processed. Later, join a farming family for meal preparations and a shared evening feast.
Tea production and field notes
Visit tea gardens and learn about processing and products. Compare tea and coffee production and their links with markets. After travelling to the next location, keep your interview and observation notes and discuss discoveries and questions to follow up.
Forest research at Ailaoshan
Plans include a scientist-led visit to the Ailaoshan Forest Ecosystem Research Station and the surrounding old-growth forest, subject to confirmation. The station is part of the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Learn about long-term ecological monitoring and forest ecosystems.
Follow-up interviews, group discussion and mentor guidance
Follow up on earlier observations and, where needed, ask participants to clarify production details or interview records. Discuss initial interpretations with peers and mentors, and identify priorities for research after the visit. An informal end-of-visit sharing session may cover interesting observations, surprises and further questions; the formal research presentation comes later.
Departure
Return home with your interview and field notes and the questions still to explore, ready for the analysis and writing stage after Lunar New Year.
This itinerary is provisional. Visits, the family feast and forest routes depend on local production schedules, host availability and weather. We’ll confirm the final arrangements and visit order before departure.
Coffee harvests and village traditions
Winter is usually coffee harvest season in Jingdong. Where production schedules allow, you’ll see coffee cherries being picked and processed. You’ll also spend time with local residents as they prepare for Lunar New Year.
A traditional New Year feast with a local family
Subject to host availability, spend an afternoon and evening preparing and sharing a meal with a farming family. This feast is part of sha nian zhu, the tradition of slaughtering a pig before Lunar New Year and sharing the pork with relatives and neighbours. The visit focuses on the meal and local hospitality.
Forest observation at Ailaoshan
Learn how scientists record changes in the forest over time and use their observations to frame research questions. Activities and routes will depend on the confirmed visit arrangements and local conditions.
After the visit: analysis and writing with your mentors
This is a formal part of the programme. Over approximately two to three weeks after Lunar New Year, two online mentoring sessions support your group’s paper, research presentation and revisions. Exact dates will be confirmed separately.
Analysing material and structuring the paper
Organise the urban consumer interviews and Yunnan field notes, compare participants’ accounts and begin a thematic analysis. Use the selected reading to refine your question and develop the paper’s argument and structure. Your group then prepares a first draft.
Draft feedback and revision
Mentors give specific feedback on the research question, use of material, interpretation and referencing. The session includes a group research presentation and Q&A: explain your analysis, respond to mentors and peers, and identify what needs revising.
Submit a revised paper in response to the feedback. Each student also keeps interview, observation and analysis notes and explains their contribution to the group’s research.
Develop a group research paper with mentor guidance
Connect your urban consumer interviews with fieldwork in Yunnan. After the visit, complete a short research paper as a group and a research presentation and Q&A, alongside an individual record of your research process.
One group research paper
Approximately 3,000–5,000 Chinese characters, based on urban consumer interviews and fieldwork in Yunnan. Include the research question and background, methods, findings and analysis, discussion and limitations, and references. Compare evidence, interpret differing views and develop your own supported judgement, rather than simply compiling interview summaries.
One group research presentation and Q&A
Present online after the visit, as part of the second mentoring session. Explain your question, methods and main analysis, respond to mentors and peers, and use the discussion to revise your paper.
An individual research process record
Keep the interviews, observation records and analysis notes you contributed, together with an explanation of your role in the group. Be able to explain what you did, how you interpreted the material and where your thinking changed.
Use open-ended questions in group interviews, with students sharing responsibility for leading, following up and taking notes. Compare where participants agree or differ, then check your interpretations against the interview records.
Optional: share your findings more widely
Groups may also make a display, information cards, an audio piece or a short video. You are not expected to make every format, and these do not replace the research paper. Consumer feedback can help improve communication; it is not a measure of the paper’s research quality.
Our work in Yunnan
Huadong’s work in Pu’er spans teacher training, student fieldwork and school exchanges, supported by local government and schools.
2019–2021
Provided free family education training to 1,000 teachers in rural Pu’er between 2019 and 2021.
2023
Organised linguistics fieldwork in Yunnan for secondary school students from Shanghai.
2024
Organised a winter fieldwork exchange with junior secondary students at Jingdong Yinsheng Middle School. Visiting students came from the High School Affiliated to Fudan University and Shanghai World Foreign Language Academy.
Join the 2027 Winter School
CNY 21,800 per participant
Please contact a programme adviser about travel to the meeting point and registration arrangements.
Fieldwork dates: 29 January–3 February 2027 (provisional)
Six days and five nights; planned group size: 8–12.
The programme also includes pre-departure preparation and approximately two to three weeks of post-fieldwork guidance after Lunar New Year, with two online mentoring sessions.
Upper-secondary students aged 15–18
We welcome students interested in human behaviour, rural life or local economies, who are willing to interview people, keep records and work with others. You may be at a mainstream or international school, or following an equivalent educational pathway.
Before you apply
Tell us about your interests and any research or group projects you’ve taken part in. A programme adviser will discuss your preparation with you and help you get ready for the fieldwork.
Questions about the programme?
Leave your contact details. A T.School programme adviser will contact you to discuss fieldwork, preparation or applications.
Frequently asked questions
How much preparation is required?
Allow approximately six to eight hours between 15 and 28 January 2027 for two urban tea or coffee consumer interviews, two online workshops and selected reading from your mentors. Reading, question development and preparation of the field interview guide are integrated into the workshops wherever possible. Prepare a brief research plan and your consumer interview material. Students outside Shanghai can conduct interviews remotely.
Do I need to write a paper or submit a draft while in Yunnan?
No. The six days and five nights focus on interviews, observation, conversations and local life. Keep the records you need and take part in short daily discussions. An informal final sharing session may explore observations and further questions. There is no intensive paper writing, draft submission or formal paper defence during the visit.
When is the paper completed, and how do mentors help?
The post-fieldwork stage runs for approximately two to three weeks after Lunar New Year and includes two online mentoring sessions. The first focuses on organising material, comparing accounts, thematic analysis and the paper’s structure. The second provides draft feedback and includes a group research presentation and Q&A. Your group then submits a revised paper of approximately 3,000–5,000 Chinese characters. Exact dates will be confirmed separately.
Does each student write a separate paper?
No. The paper and research presentation and Q&A are group work. Each student keeps an individual record of interviews, observations and analysis, with an explanation of their contribution. Displays, information cards, audio and short videos are optional ways to share findings; they do not replace the paper, and you are not expected to make every format.
How are students with different research experience supported?
Mentors provide step-by-step guidance in interview preparation, comparing material and organising a paper. The existing admissions conversation helps us understand your interests and project experience. Students with research design experience can build on it through analysis, discussion of literature and research writing.
Are the dates and activities confirmed?
The programme is provisionally scheduled for 29 January–3 February 2027. Visits, the family feast and forest routes depend on local production schedules, host availability and weather. We’ll share confirmed arrangements before departure. Contact a programme adviser about travel and registration.
Where were these photographs taken?
The photographs are from educational outreach in Pu’er in 2019, linguistics fieldwork in 2023 and the Qianli Project in 2024. Each caption identifies the activity and year.
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