Visitors discover Freedom

Lan Xia, who has spent most of her life in China, was surprised this weekend to learn that her native country has more in common with Boston than she once thought.

"I was quite surprised to see that Boston is like China," said Xia, who walked the Freedom Trail with leaders from the Howard Thurman Center. "I was really more surprised by the historical oldness and didn't expect that side of Boston since I'm more used to the skyscrapers of a typical modern city."

Xia, a School of Education graduate student, and a few other international students were surprised to find that Boston boasts a rich history that rivals that of China's, despite the city's short-lived history compared to older nations.

The students took a tour of the Freedom Trail, the state-sponsored red-line guide through the busy streets and alleyways near Government Center.

"Why did the revolution begin [in Boston]?" asked Mike Bradford, a Boston National Historical Park Interpretation Division park ranger. "Why not in [New] Jersey, South Carolina or New York?"

The students visited Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere's house, the site of the Boston Massacre and the New Old South Church. Many students saw the tour as an opportunity to learn about tradition and independence.

"I noticed that [Bradford] said 'independence' a lot," Xia said. "Boston is a place where independence originated from. The revolutionaries were pioneers for political independence."

College of Arts and Sciences freshman You Na Park, a South Korea native and South Africa resident, said Boston's proud "living atmosphere" is a contrast to South Africa.

"I feel that the history of the United States is so short and trivial compared to the history of, say, China, the United Kingdom and South Korea . . . but I find it interesting how Bostonians value their history so much," Park said.

College of Communication freshman Tyler Sit, of Minnesota, said the tour taught him more about "his new hometown."

"[Boston] is different and similar from Minnesota," he said. "Minnesota simply doesn't have a lot of early-American 1600-era buildings scattered everywhere."

Sit said the tour also brought history to life in a much more tangible way than a teacher can in a classroom setting.

"When [Bradford] talked about Paul Revere using lanterns for signals [to warn people about the invading British], I was like, 'Woah, I learned that in 6th grade,'" he said. "It was just bizarre to see everything in my high school history book laid out in front of me in real form. The same Boston Massacre that Mr. Brothers in ninth-grade social studies taught me about happened right here? The street corner I'm standing on right now? Talk about a reality check."