Educational Trip Through China, Summer 2010
For professors and students at Boise State University as well as teachers and students of Borah High School
On behalf of the International Economic Summit Institute at Boise State University, Boise ID www.econsummit.org
On behalf of and in cooperation with the director of the International Economic Summit Institute at Boise State University, this trip was planned and organized around the actual occasion of the visit to China, the “International Economic Summit” program.
Since the participating students and pupils were able to receive credit points from the university for the trip when they subsequently wrote a paper, planning had to reflect as many facets of Chinese history, culture, politics and economy as possible and also to convey the content of modern Chinese life. Nevertheless, opportunities for personal exploration and a certain amount of leisure time had to be included too.
Therefore, not only historical sites such as temples, monasteries, palaces and the Chinese Wall were visited, but also places where current developments and modern Chinese life could be explored. These were among others the modern Shanghai financial district of Pudong and old city neighborhoods in Shanghai and Beijing, of which some were under strong gentrification pressure or threatened with demolition.
In addition, there was time for exchange between the participants of the trip and Chinese teachers and students.
5 Nights Shanghai
1 Night Hangzhou
1 Overnight in the train Hangzhou – Beijing
4 Nights Beijing
Itinerary
Day 1
During the day
Today your educational trip through China begins with your departure from the USA to Shanghai.
Day 2
Evening
Arrival in Shanghai and warm welcome by your tour guide. Transfer to your hotel, check-in and short break.
Afterwards
Welcome dinner
Day 3
Morning
Visit to Xiangming High School, partner school of the school district Boise, ID in preparation for the “International Economic Summit”, an educational program for pupils and students oriented towards the world economy.
Noon
Individual lunch in the old town of Shanghai
Afternoon
During a visit to the Yu Garden, immerse yourself in classical Chinese horticulture and hear about the Five Elements, Yin and Yang, Fengshui and other classical Chinese teachings and how they still affect every day Chinese life.
Afterwards
Participation in a Chinese tea ceremony with the possibility to try different teas.
Evening
Group dinner
Afterwards
At the end of the day you walk along the famous river promenade of Shanghai, the Bund, and have the brightly lit old British colonial buildings on one side and the gigantic, glittering skyscrapers of the new Shanghai on the other.
Day 4
Morning
Transfer to the Expo Shanghai 2010
All day
Individual visit to the World Exposition
Noon
Individual lunch break
Evening
Return to the hotel
Afterwards
Group dinner
Day 5
All day
Participation of all American students and pupils together with the Chinese pupils in the “International Economic Summit” program.
Noon
Individual lunch break
Evening
Group dinner by all students and “International Economic Summit”-banquet for representatives of Boise State University, Borah High School and Xiangming High School.
Day 6
Morning
Today you will visit Shanghai’s most famous temple, the Jade Buddha Temple, with its magnificent prayer halls, courtyards and Jade Buddha figures.
Afterwards
During a visit to a local silk manufactory you will learn about the history and methods of silk production.
Noon
Individual lunch break
Afternoon
Free time to stroll around the old town with its many small shops as well as for individual visits to the TV tower, another skyscraper or Nanjing Street, the main shopping street of Shanghai.
Evening
Group dinner for American and Chinese students
Afterwards
Joint visit of the “Shanghai Circus” with its breathtaking acrobatics show
Day 7
Morning
Visit to the Shanghai Museum with audio guides
Noon
Transfer to the train station and individual lunch break
Afterwards
Train ride from Shanghai to Hangzhou
Afternoon
Arrival in Hangzhou and visit to the Hangzhou Old Town with its famous Pharmacy Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Afterwards
Transfer to your hotel, Check-in, and short break
Evening
Group dinner in the hotel
Afterwards
Possibility to stroll along the colorfully illuminated West Lake
Day 8
Morning
Boat trip on the picturesque and legendary West Lake
Afterwards
Visit the Lingyin Si, the Monastry of the Soul’s Retreat, with its Buddhist rock caves and magnificent monastery halls.
Noon
Individual lunch break
Afternoon
During a visit to a tea plantation you will get to know different tea plants, their cultivation, harvesting, processing and the different quality classes.
Evening
Group dinner
Afterwards
Transfer to the train station. Spend the night in a comfortable sleeper car on the night train from Hangzhou to Beijing.
Day 9
Morning
Arrival in Beijing and transfer to the hotel where a rich breakfast awaits you.
Afterwards
Check-in and rest
Noon
Individual lunch break
Afternoon
Visit the former Imperial Summer Palace with its huge park, Long Corridor, and Kunming Lake on the outskirts of Beijing.
Evening
Group dinner
Day 10
Morning
Today you will visit the heart of Beijing, the Tiananmen Square, including the Mao Mausoleum and the magnificent Forbidden City with the Imperial Palace in the center. From here 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties ruled China, the Middle Kingdom, from the 15th century to the 20th century.
Noon
Individual lunch break
Afternoon
Visit the impressively perfect Temple of Heaven, the most important temple of the former imperial state cult. The Hall of Harvest Prayer is the landmark of the city of Beijing.
Evening
Visit to the Donghuamen Night Market with an individual dinner
Day 11
Morning
Transfer to the Great Wall
All day
Climb and hike the legendary Great Wall of China from Jinshanling to Simatai and enjoy unique views over the hilly landscape with the longest building in the world, which keeps appearing and disappearing in it. Finally, if you have a little courage, you can shorten the way with a “Zip line flight”.
Noon
Individual lunch break
Afternoon
Return to Beijing
Evening
Group dinner
Day 12
Morning
Visit the magnificent Lama Temple, the largest temple of Tibetan Buddhism outside Tibet with its 250 year history.
Afterwards
In the old Confucius Temple you will learn interesting facts about the origins of Confucianism and the development of Chinese characters.
Noon
Individual lunch break
Afternoon
Time to stroll through one of Beijing’s most beautiful old town neighborhoods and to buy some last souvenirs.
Evening
Farewell dinner: Enjoy the famous Beijing Duck
Day 13
Morning
Transfer to the airport
Afterwards
Now it’s time to say goodbye and fly back to the USA
