Itinerary & Excursions

Part I: Beijing

We depart from New York (at the end of May in summer, or right after Christmas in winter) and arrive in Beijing on the afternoon of the next day. We stop in Beijing for 3 days. Some sites and activities students enjoy in Beijing include the following:

1. Tian An Men Square
2. Forbidden City
3. Peking Opera
4. Cloisonné factory
5. Great Wall
6. Traditional Chinese herbal medicine parlor
7. Sites of the 2008 Olympic Games
8. Peking duck dinner
9. Summer Palace
10. Pearl processing factory

We can also try to schedule a KungFu show *. Turn on the audio and click here for a preview: http://www.chunyi-kungfu.com/ 

(Read the story about Kungfu: click here)

Part II: Xi’an

After Beijing, we head to Xi’an and stay there for 2 days.  Some sites students enjoy in Xi'an include:

1. Terra Cotta Warriors Museum
2. Traditional & Folk Art
3. Wild Goose Pagoda Square (Buddhist Statue)
4. Ancient City Wall
5. Jade Art Gallery

6. The Muslim Quarter

Xian was the capital of 11 ancient Chinese dynasties, and the starting point of the overland Silk Road, where you can experience a lot of the Chinese history and see evidence of west-east exchanges.

The Terracotta Soldiers and Horses of the Qin Dynasty amazed the world when discovered in 1974 by local farmers. Buried with the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty 2,000 years ago and meant to protect him in the afterlife, the 8,000 life-sized warriors and their steeds are a magnificent sight. The well-preserved old city wall and gate towers, and the stunning Great Wild Goose Pagoda are must-see attractions.

Part III: Nanjing

After Xi’an, we go to Nanjing, where we stay for about 3 weeks to have our formal class sessions. (Classes sessions also start in some other ways the first day when we arrive in China.)

Nanjing is a very important site in modern Chinese history (starting from late Ming Dynasty about 400 years ago until recent decades).  It was the capital of six ancient Chinese dynasties and the capital of the Nationalists who later fled to Taiwan when the Communists took control in 1949. It is also the starting point of the maritime Silk Road. 

 

The city’s convenient railway & expressway systems and a major international airport offer easy access to any part of China.  Students will have a lot to discover, study and enjoy in this city. Important sites include:

1. The Mausoleum of Dr. Sun Zhongshan
2. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Museum
3. Fuzimiao (Confucius Temple)
4. Xuanwuhu Park
5. Nanjing Massacre Museum
6. Presidential Palace and Meiyuan New Village
7. Jiming Temple (nuns) & Xixia Temple (monks)
8. Nanjing Museum

 

In Nanjing, we stay in a nice hotel, right at the center of the city, by the beautiful Xuanwu Lake Park.

 

While in Nanjing, students can make side trips to Hong Kong (via Shenzhen, right next to Hong Kong); Sanya; Guilin; etc.   For information on side trips, see the bottom of this page.

 

Yangzhou is a very pretty city, only one hour north of Nanjing. During Tang Dynasty, Yangzhou was very prosperous, comparable to modern NYC or Shanghai.  During our stay in Nanjing, we can choose to make a one-day trip to Yangzhou.  The trip may include the following sites and activities:

1. Slender West Lake (shou xi hu)
2. Ge Garden (bamboo-rock garden)
3. Yangzhou Lacquerware Factory
4. Visit the street of (food) delicacies
5. Enjoy the unique Yangzhou cuisine

 

Part IV: Suzhou or Hangzhou (after our studies in Nanjing)

 

After Nanjing, the travel agency will take us on a charter bus to Suzhou (about 2 & 1/2 hours away from Nanjing).

 

Suzhou is acclaimed to be the Oriental Venice, paradise on earth and home of beautiful Chinese gardens. Sites in Suzhou include:

1. Silk factory
2. Classical Chinese Garden
3. Embroidery Museum

Note: In the summer, after our stop in Nanjing, we often choose to make a side trip to the Yellow Mountain and then head to Hangzhou (rather than Suzhou). In Hangzhou, we can enjoy the beautiful West Lake (Xi Hu), the Longjing (Dragon Well) Tea Plantation, etc.

The city of Hangzhou is one of China’s premier tourist destinations, and a favorite weekend retreat for people from Shanghai and other nearby cities. If you know the Chinese history, this city was the capital of the southern Song dynasty (1127-1279) which prospered in art and literature, so this charming city has been the inspiration for poets and artists for centuries.  No pictures online can convey the charm and beauty of Hangzhou, especially its West Lake (Xi Hu in Chinese), except a trip in person to see it with your own eyes. This is the city where former US ambassador John Leighton Stuart chose to have his ashes placed.

 

After lunch, take a walk by the picturesque West Lake, which is said to be created from a pearl dropped by a phoenix and a dragon, and proclaimed by the Chinese to be "the landscape composed by a painter." Stroll along the lake’s causeways and immerse yourself in its beauty. You also visit the famed “Broken Bridge” to marvel at the Golden Fishes. Later, if time permits, you can tour the “Old Street” with Ming & Qing houses and stone cobbled lanes.

 

Besides silk, the region is also a major producer of tea. No tour to Hangzhou is complete without going to the world-renowned Longjing Tea Plantation, where the legendary Longjing green tea is picked and processed by hand. The first picked tea leaves of the new harvest (in early spring) were once reserved solely for the Emperor and transported to him via the Grand Canal. You will learn about the harvesting, as well as the proper way to brew this healthful beverage. The Chinese Tea Ceremony will be demonstrated. Sample the freshness of the tea, appreciate its “green color, smooth appearance, fragrant aroma and ever-lingering taste,” and you will find it hard to resist the temptation to take home some tea for your loved ones and for yourself.

 

Part V: Shanghai

The final excursion takes us to Shanghai on a charter bus.

Shanghai, our last stop, is just 1 & 1/2 hours from Suzhou/Hangzhou. Students will be given time to explore on their own and see the best of the modern China.  In Shanghai, you can experience first-hand the amazing developments of this modern cosmopolitan city, and build your own links of past and present, of East and West, before flying back to the U.S.

Activities students can have in Shanghai may include:

1．  Boat ride on the HuangPu River

2．  the Bund & the French Concession

3．  Shopping on commercial streets (Nanjing Road & Huai Hai Road)

4．  Oriental Pearl Tower

5．  Jewish Synagogue (to see some history of Jewish communities in Shanghai during World War II)

6．  Xin Tian Di (New World Market)

7．  HengShan Road (pubs & restaurants)

8．  Shanghai Museum

9．  YuYuan Garden Flea Market

Part VI: Other Activities
While studying in Nanjing, we will try to pair up with local college students and business professionals.

If students are interested, we can also plan additional activities which may include visits to schools, government offices, classes to learn Taiji or Chinese calligraphy, or concerts of traditional Chinese musical instruments such as Erhu (Chinese violin) or Chinese regional operas.

With this China program, you will experience Chinese history & culture, interact with local people, and have a real feel of the Chinese life.

Travel and sightseeing in China are all arranged by professional travel agencies, so you do not have anything to worry about.  In each city, they English-speaking tour guides and charter buses to pick up our group at the airport/train station and take us to the hotel, restaurants and tourist sites.

Travel agencies may also help arrange side trips to the following places *:

  1. Hong Kong;
  2. Sanya on Hainan Island (said to be the oriental Hawaii-click this);
  3. Yellow Mountain (or Huangshan in Chinese, acclaimed to be the most beautiful mountain click this);
  4. Guilin & Yangshuo (scenery is said to be #1 click here); and
  5. Tibet.

 

Tourists, Chinese and non-Chinese alike, all dream to see the stunning landscape of Guilin and the breathtaking beauty of the Li River (Li Jiang).  Travel agencies can help arrange a side trip to this beautiful place if there is sufficient interest. Make sure you check the following sites:

 

http://www.triptoguilin.com/webpages/cities/guilin/guilin.htm

 

http://www.triptoguilin.com/webpages/cities/guilin/attraction/lijiang.htm

 

Turn on audio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4b6F9II17k&feature=related

 

Students in the past found the side trips to be additional excitements of our China trip. Information on side trips will be provided to participants after they are accepted into the program.

 

* additional cost