Walk around a Chinese museum, historical site, or university during school holidays, and there is one group you will likely encounter: students dressed in school uniforms and waving colorful flags. Their footprints can be found across China and abroad as they learn about the world through travel—a practice known as youxue (游学) or “study tours.” But this is not a modern invention. In China, the tradition of traveling to study dates back more than 2,000 years, and has helped lay the foundations for Chinese philosophy, historiography, and poetry.
Confucius’s journey through the feudal states
Like so much of Chinese history, the idea can be traced back to Confucius (孔子), the 6th-century BCE philosopher, politician, and educator. Born into a gentry family in the Lu state, in what is today Shandong province, he undertook his first study tour as a young man, a journey that deeply influenced his philosophy.
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